
Glass . 
Book. 



Many parishes having failed to furnish up-to-date information, the data from our last publication 
was given and figures concerning prices of land mighl be misleading. However, land can be 
bought in various sections of the State at from $5.00 to $75.00 per acre, some plantations even 
double that figure. Developments of resources also fail to appear under the parishes failing to send 
in data, but in the main body of the book they are given and the parishes referred to. New railroads 
are constantly being built and are passing through parishes where no mention of such has been made, 
and the interior of almost every parish can now be reached either by rail or some of the many water 
courses throughout the State 



A Hand-Book of Louisiana 

Giving General and Agricul- 
tural Features, together with 
Crops that can be Grown 

Description of each Parish, 
Climate, Health, Education, 
Industries, Railroads, Water- 
Courses, Forestry, Etc. : : 



Issui d by Ha Louisiana Matt Board of Agriculturt and Immigration 
E. 0. BRUNER, Commissioner, Baton Roniji, La. 






' I V HE following pages were compiled and given to the publisher under the administration of my 
-*■ predecessor, the late lamented Col. Chas. Schuler, and, in assuming control of the Agricultural 
Department, I am gratified to find this Hand-Book about to be given to the public. 

To those who contemplate moving — the home-seeker — I would commend these pages. A careful 
perusal will give some idea of Louisiana's resources and her wonderful possibilities; and, if further 
information should be desired, it will give me great pleasure to furnish it, because I can unhesitatingly 
and unequivocally recommend the delightful climate, the unsurpassed productiveness of the soil, its 
adaptability to diversified farming, and the whole-souled, generous-hearted people of our State. 

E. 0. BRUNER, 
Commissioner of Agriculture and Immigration. 

ft m • 



PREFACE. 



IN THE preparation and compilation of data for the publication of such a book as will give 
with accuracy and clearness the varied and immense resources of a State which is only yet 
in the infancy of its development, it is necessary to cull from former publications, and, from 
our last hand-book, most of which was taken from the hand-book written by Dr. Win. C. Stubbs 
while Director of the Louisiana State Experiment Stations, this book is largely made and copious 
extracts are taken from the Hon. Jos. E. Ransdell's "On to Dixie" speech in the House of Rep- 
resentatives in the Sixty-first Congress, several of his valuable appendices being given in full. 

It is sincerely hoped that this general review will so interest homeseekers as to cause them to 
come and receive a cordial welcome to this land of plenty, this land of sunshine and flowers — beau- 
tiful Louisiana. 

CHARLES SCHULER, Commissioner. 





E. O. BRUNER, 
Commissioner of Agriculture and Immigration. 



CHARLES SCHULER, 
Late Commissioner ot Agriculture and Immigration. 




STATE CAPITOL — SOUTHWEST VIEW. 



\ 



LOUISIANA'S GOVERNOR AND LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR 





HIS EXCELLENCY JARED YOUNG SANDERS. 



HON. PAUL M. LAMBREMONT. 






w*. 







ONE OF LOUISIANA'S GOOD ROADS— FROM MONROE TO CALHOUN. 



LOUISIANA'S INVITATION. 



THE HOSPITALITY of Louisiana is proverbial, and 
she now stands with open arms at her borders to 
welcome the stranger. Nature is exceedingly 
bountiful within her gates; agriculturist, manu- 
facturer or artisan will find here what all men should 
seek, "a festival of well requited labor," with a ger.ial 
climate, an honest, sunny-tempered people, and all the 
advantages of Twentieth Century civilization. Those 
who have come to her in recent j'ears stand ready to 
testify in her behalf. Her marvelous development of 
the past ten years is but the forerunner of a more mar- 
velous development in the future. She invites you to 
come and be a part of this development. The last United 
States Census Report shows that capital invested in 
farms, yielded, in Louisiana, an income of 27.3 per cent 
annually on the investment, and this, gentle stranger, 
is 70 per cent higher than the general average for the 
whole United States. Corn, cotton, sugar-cane, rice, 
fruits and berries, truck, forage crops, and almost every- 
thing grown under the sun, can be raised on her rich 
and responsive soil. Her advance as a manufacturing 



State has been by leaps and bounds. In 1S90 she was 
the sixth ranking manufacturing State in the South, 
and in 1900 she had jumped to second place. Large and 
valuable deposits of coal in the northwestern, and an 
unlimited supply of fuel oil in the various parts of 
the State, are the additions to her mineral wealth, dis- 
covered during recent years. Situated in the heart of 
the raw material district, with the richest soil on earth, 
with cheap fuel, oil, coal and gas, with nearly four 
thousand miles of navigable streams and three thousand 
miles of railways, with the Panama Canal now nearing 
completion, can you have one lingering doubt of her 
future greatness and imperial splendor? If this material 
side appeals not to you, examine her aesthetic beauty. 
She has her throne builded beneath the sunniest sky 
that lights the globe, and her shores are laved by the 
waters of the great Gulf. She lives perfumed by the 
choicest flowers, when bleak winter's chill has enclasped 
her more northern sisters. Boreas, when most furious, 
stops in his maddened career, to pet and woo her. She 
is rich in all and holds out a generous and charitable 
hand to the children of her poorer sisters. 



AN HISTORICAL SKETCH. 



LOUISIANA was named in honor of Louis XIV, King 
of France, by Robert Cavalier de la Salle, in 1682. 
The Louisiana of the seventeonth century extended 
from the Alleghanies to the Rocky Mountains, and 
from the Rio Grande and the Gulf to th? dim regions 
■which now constitute British America. It was first 
visited by Europeans in 1541. De Soto, the Spanish 
adventurer, with his followers, explored the coast west 
of Florida to the Mississippi River and beyond, and he 
visited the country on both sides of the river, where 
now stands the City of New Orleans. In 1542 he was 
taken sick and died. In order to conceal his body from 
the Indians, his followers buried him in the Mississippi 
River, at the point where it is now met by the Red River. 

Father Marquette. 

In 1673, Father Marquette and his Canadians, start- 
ing from Canada, descended the great river from Illinois 
to the mouth of the Arkansas. The river was again 
descended by La Salle, in 16S2, who took possession of 
the country in the name of Louis XIV, and for him 
named the land Louisiana. He explored the river to 
its mouth, and, returning to France, organized plans for 
establishing a colony. The ship failed to reach the mouth 
of the Mississippi, and the colony landed in Texas. It 
is doubtful whether any colony was established in 



Louisiana before 1699, when Iberville, with a company, 
attempted a settlement at Biloxl. This was the chief 
town until 1702, when Bienville moved the headquarters 
to the west bank of the Mobile River. The soil of 
Biloxi is very sterile, and the settlers seem to have 
depended mainly on supplies from France or San 
Domingo. 

The Western Company. 

On the 26th of September, 1712, the entire commerce 
of Louisiana, with a considerable control in its govern- 
nient. was granted to Anthony Crozat, an eminent French 
merchant. The grant to Crozat, so magnificent on paper, 
proved to be but of little use to him, and of no benefit 
to the colony, and in 1718 he surrendered the privilege. 
In the same year, on the 6th of September, the charter 
of the Western, or Mississippi, Company, was registered 
in the Parliament of Paris. The exclusive commerce of 
Louisiana was granted to it for 25 years, and a monopoly 
of the beaver trade of Canada, together with other ex* 
traordinary privileges, and it entered at once on its new 
domains. Bienville was appointed Governor of the colony 
for the second time. He had become satisfied that the 
chief city of the colony should be situated on the Mis- 
sissippi River, and, therefore, in 1718, New Orleans was 
founded. 



First Plan to Build Jetties. 

It was about this time that the engineer, Panger, 
reported a plan for removing the bar at the mouth of 
one of the passes by a system very much the same as 
that so successfully executed in recent years by Captain 
James B. Eads. It was a mooted question, however, for 
some time, whether New Orleans, Manchac or Natchez, 
should be the colonial capital; but Bienville had his own 
way, and removed the seat of government to New Orleans 
in 1722. 

Under Spanish Rule. 

The Western Company possessed and controlled 
Louisiana some fourteen years, when, finding the prin- 
cipality of little value, it surrendered it in Jamjary, 1732. 
In 1763 occurred an event which left a deep impression 
on the history of Louisiana. On the 3d of November 
of that year, France, by a secret treaty, ceded to Spain 
all that portion of Louisiana which lay west of the Mis- 
sissippi, together with the city of New Orleans and the 
island on which it stood. The war between England 
and France was terminated by the treaty of Paris, in 
February, 1764. By the terms of this treaty the boundary 
between the French and English possessions in North 
America was fixed by a line drawn along the middle of 
he Mississippi from its source to the river Iberville, and 
'rom there by a line in the middle of that stream, and 
Lakes Maurepas and Pontchartrain to the sea. The 
.Trench inhabitants were astonished when they found 
themselves transferred to Spanish domination. Some of 



them were so rash as to organize in resistance to the 
cession, and finally, in 1766, ordered away the Spanish 
Governor, Antonio di Viola. In 1769, Alexander O'Reilly, 
the commandant of the large Spanish force, arrived and 
reduced the province to actual possessions. The colony 
grew slowly from this time until the administration of 
Baron de Carondelet, but under his management, from 
1792 to 1797, marked improvements were made. 

In 1794, the first newspaper was established, "The 
Moniteur." 

The Purchase of Louisiana. 

The beginning of Jefferson's first term found the 
United States threatened by the dangers and complica- 
tions of an international struggle across the water. 
Napoleon was engaged with plans hostile to England. 
France had obtained from Spain a secret cession to 
what was known as the Louisiana territory. The British 
Government was covetous of American territory and was 
interested in limiting the expansion of the United States 
to the westward. The United States Government had 
become seriously concerned over the question of the com- 
mercial outlet to the Gulf. Spanish officials at New 
Orleans were imposing restrictions which materially 
hampered the commerce of the Valley and which were 
the occasion of bad feeling. 

Marbois was Napoleon's Minister of the Public 
Treasury. Napoleon needed money for his war budget. 
But of stronger influence with him was a policy which 
might cripple England. Under such conditions, Presl- 



10 



dent Jefferson opened, through Mr. Livingston, the Amer- 
ican Minister to France, negotiations for the purchase of 
so much territory as would control the mouth of the 
Mississippi. The inspiration for this diplomacy was the 
increasing clamor of the people in the great Valley 
against the interference with American commerce on the 
river. To aid Mr. Livingston, Mr. Monroe, afterwards 
President, was sent as a special Ambassador. 

Xapoleon met the negotiations with a counter propo- 
sition. According to Marbois, who became the historian 
of the transaction, Napoleon said, in a conversation on 
the 10th of April, 1803, speaking of the proposed cession, 
with special reference to the desire of the BrU'sh: "They 
shall not have the Mississippi, which they covet." 

Twenty days later the treaty had been consummated, 
and the great territory of Louisiana ceded to the United 
States for $12,000,000, and the assumption of certain 
claims amounting to $3,750,000 more. 

It was in commenting upon the accomplishment of 
the purchase that Napoleon remarked: "This accession of 
territory strengthens forever the nower of the United 
States." 

The secret treaty of St. Ildefonso, by which the ter- 
ritory passed to France from Spain, was made in 1800. 
I' was known to the Government of the United States, 
but the actual transfer from Spanish to French authority 
had net taken place. The trouble from which American 
commerce suffered was with the Spanish omcials at New 
Orleans. President Jefferson, however, knew that the 



solution of the difficulty must come through negotiations 
with France. 

It is an Interesting fact that in 1802 there sailed 
out of the Mississippi 158 American vessels, of 21,383 
tonnage. This was the American commerce endangered. 
It was the arbitrary order issued on the 16th of October, 
1802, by the Ir.tendant Morales, "suspending the right 
of deposit" at the port of New Orleans, which created 
the outburst of indignation along the Mississippi, which 
prompted President Jefferson to enter upon the negotia- 
tions for the purchase of the territory. 

According to Marbois, Napoleon realized in some 
degree the mag lficent territory which he was trans- 
ferring to the United States. He realized, however, that 
it was impossible for him to hold territory without send- 
ing a fleet and a strong force. He understood, also, that 
this transfer of Louisiana Territory to the United States 
would be the strongest bio."' he could deal to England. 

Napoleon met the offer of the United States to pur- 
chase the mouth of the river with this answer to his 
Minister, Marbois: 

"Irresolution and deliberation are no longer in season. 
I renounce Louisiana. It is not New Orleans only I will 
cede; it is the whole colony, without any reservation. I 
know the price of what I abanden. I renounce it with 
the greatest regret To attempt to retain it would be 
folly." 

The treaty of the purchase was signed on April 30, 
1S03. The transfer at New Orleans took place on De- 
cember 20, of the same yeu.r. 



11 




Second Growth Pine. 




A Trout Stream. 




Louisiana Planter's Home. 




A Gravel Bed on the Amite. 




THE OLD CABILDO IN NEW ORLEANS. IX WHICH THE TRANSFER OF LOUISIANA TOOK PLACE ON 

DECEMBER 20, 1803. 
The Immigration Division of the State Board of Agriculture and Immigration now located here. 




AN AVENUE OF LIVE OAKS IN AUDUBON PARK, NEW ORLEANS. 




DR. MILLER'S HERD OF JERSEY CATTLE, IN OUACHITA PARISH. 

15 



In 1S04, the territory of Orleans was established by 
order of Congress. The rest of the immense purchase 
was at first erected into the district of Louisiana; then, 
in 1S05, into the Territory of Louisiana, and in 1S12, 
into the Territory of Missouri. At the time of the Amer- 
ican possession, in 1803, Laussat, the French colonial 
prefect, declared that justice was then administered 
"worse than in Turkey." With the American domination 
came new ideas. In 1808 a civil code of laws was, for 
the first time, adopted by Legislature in Louisiana. It 
was based, to a large extent, on a draft of the Code 
Napoleon. By act of Congress, in November, 1811, the 
inhabitants of the Territory were authorized to form a 
Constitution with a view to the establishment of a State 
Government. The debates in the National House of 
Representatives on this bill were long and interesting. 
The bill having been passed, however, the Constitution 
of 1S12 was framed and adopted, and on April 30, 1812, 
Congress passed an act for the admission of. Louisiana 
into the Union. Three months after this war was de- 
clared against England by the United States. The con- 
test was continued until the treaty of Ghent, December 
24, 1 S 14. But before the news of peace could cross the 
ocean a force of 12,000 English soldiers, under Sir Ed- 
ward Pakenham, landed in Louisiana, and made an 
attack on New Orleans, which was successfully resisted 
by General Jackson, with only 5,000 men, most of whom 
were militia from Tennessee and Kentucky. The prog- 
ress of the State from this time and until the outbreak 
of the Civil War was very rapid. Louisiana had a large 



interest in slavery. On account of the extensive culti- 
vation of cotton, rice, and sugar-cane, and the conse- 
quent demand for labor, her slave population almost 
equaled her white. At the outbreak of the war, Louisiana 
promptly took a position in favor of secession. 

Her ordinance of secession from the Union was passed 
December 23, 1S60, by a vote of 113 to 17. On March 21, 
1861, the same convention adopted the Confederate Con- 
stitution, without submitting it to the people, and, in 
order to conform it to their State Constitution, passed 
amendments for that purpose. From this time until 
the close of the war, the State Government was nomi- 
nally in the hands of the Confederates, though for the 
last two years of civil strife, its territory, for the most 
part, was in the hands of the Federals. Some of the 
earliest, as well as the latest, scenes of the war were 
enacted in this State. In April, 1862, Farragut's fleet 
entered the Mississippi River. He succeeded in passing, 
and in silencing, Forts Jackson and St. Philip, which 
defended the approaches to New Orleans, and captured 
the city on the 25th of April, 1S62. By July, 1S63, all 
the Confederate strongholds on the Mississippi were 
reduced, the towns captured, and the river opened to 
navigation. In 1S63, General Banks brought the Attak- 
apas country into subjection to the United States, and, 
in 1864, other excursions into the region of the Red 
River were made by him with but partial success. 

Constitutions of 1864 and 1868. 

In April, 1864, a new Constitution was drawn up 
preparatory to the act of re-admission of the State into 



16 




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H. B.— 2. 



the Union. This Constitution was ratified by the people 

in September, 1S64. Under this Constitution officers of 
the State were elected, but the general Government re- 
fused to recognize the Constitution. In December, 1867, 
another convention was called, and its Constitution was 
submitted to the people to be voted upon according to 
the provisions of that act. This Constitution was adopted 
March 6, 1S68. Louisiana was again admitted to the 
Union on condition of her ratification of the fourteenth 
amendment. This was done on July 9, 1S6S, and on the 
13th of the same month the Government was transferred 
from the military to the civil powers. 

Banks. 

Louisiana has hundreds of banks, national and State. 
Tliey are sound financial institutions, with ample funds 
to take care of the growing and gathering of her crops, 
the operating of her manufacturing industries and her 
commercial industries. For the promotion of new enter- 
prises, outside capital is largely depended upon. 

Assessment. 

In 1910, the total assessment of the State was $527,- 
773.9u0.00. This was an increase of more than $176,- 
000,000.00 during the past six years. 

The People. 

"Of the typical population of Louisiana, also, a special 
mystery seems to be made, but Louisianians have much 
reason to be proud of their historical descent They 
have a history as authentic and as valuable as the an- 



nals of the Puritans of Massachusetts, or that of Catho- 
lic Maryland. The rearing of the State's colonial struc- 
ture by one nation, and its blending into colonial de- 
pendence upon another, contains no special mystery. 
They are hospitable, brave, and generous people, whether 
tracing their history back to French Bienville or 
Laussat; to Spanish O'Reilly or Salcedo, or to American 
Claiborne. 

"That is the native State autonomy, which, blended 
with English, Irish and Scotch immigration, and the de- 
scendants of the Cavalier and Huguenot settlers from 
Virginia, Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama, and the Carolinas, 
make up the population of Louisiana. A people exhibit- 
ing all those finer traits which betoken the cultivation 
of noble traditions and refined associations, evidenced 
in the generous hospitality, the chivalric spirit, the 
punctilious courtesy, the knightly hand, the Christian 
knee, the clean firesides, and the holy altars cherished 
in the hearts and homes of as proud and pure an aris- 
tocracy as the world has ever known." 

Area, Production, Climate and Population. 

Louisiana has nearly 45,000 square miles of territory, 
containing some 2S,000,000 acres. Of this amount about 
13,000,000 acres is of alluvial origin, and the rest stood 
upland. With proper drainage and levee protection 
there is very little of the alluvial region that cannot 
be cultivated. Thousands of acres of so-called marsh 
and swamp are being reclaimed and put into cultivation 
every year. Capital and brain have converted barren 
wastes into rich, productive fields. The uplands are 



18 




Loading Carp with Cane from Carts 




Awaiting Turn at the Gin. 




Old Race Track, 1S58. Clump of Trees is 
where Zachary Taylor's Residence Stood. 




Charcoal Burning. 



almost ali susceptible of cultivation. Of her 28.000,000 
acres, only aDout 5,000,000 are in cultivation. O/i these 
there were raised, in 1910, 

236, S05 bales of cotton, 
33,663,S11 bushels of corn, 
656,913,708 pounds of sugar, 

420,767 barrels of molasses, 
87,217 barrels of syrup, 
506,004,320 pounds of rice, 

423,195 bushels of peanuts, 
1,853,025 bushels of sweet potatoes, 
1,179,930 bushels of Irish potatoes, 

241,125 tons of hay, 

577,352 bushels of oats, 

181, SS0 boxes of oranges, 

210,000 pounds of tobacco, 
2,952,S50 gallons of milk, 

138,494 acres in truck and vegetables, 

392,014 head of cattle, 

237,245 hogs, 
69,279 sheep. 

To these should be added the products of the cotton 
seed oil mills, and these, supplemented by butter, poultry, 
fruit and nuts of various kinds, make the average acreage 
production greater in value than any other agricultural 
state in the Union. 

Cotton. — We report this crop at 236,805 bales. 

Corn. — This crop is the largest ever produced in the 
State. Three millions or more bushels were made than 
last year, the crop being 33,663,811 bushels. 



Sugar. — Fifty-two parishes report cane crops, but 
only 21 report any sugar made. St. Landry reports 
50,000 acres in cane .but no sugar or syrup made. The 
21 parishes making sugar claim a 'crop of 656,913,708 
pounds. Nineteen claim 420,767 barrels of molasses, 
while 41 claim S7.217 barrels of syrup. 

Rice. — This industry has been spreading all over the 
State, thirty-six parishes planting it. Red River reports 
1,500 acres, Grant 100 and St. Landry 50,000 acres, but 
they give no results, and, excluding that acreage, we 
have a crop ranging from 35,000 pounds in East Feli- 
ciana to 154,000,000 pounds in Calcasieu, aggregating, for 
33 parishes, 506,004,320 pounds of rough rice. 

Peanuts. — This crop is becoming quite popular and 
is an important factor in Imaking diversification a 
blessing to the State. Twenty parishes report an acre- 
age of 21,987 and a crop of 423,195 bushels. 

Potatoes. — Forty-one parishes report an acreage in 
sweet potatoes of 59,040, with a yield of 1,853,025 bushels. 
Thirty-three report an Irish potato acreage of 48,709 with 
a yield of 3,179,930 bushels. 

Hay. — Thirty-four parishes report 139, 15S acres, while 
26 claim 241,125 tons made, but many of them report 
much of their acreage for home use only and no account 
of the tonnage is taken. 

Oats. — Reports from 26 parishes show an acreage of 
47,511, with a crop from 19 of these of 577,352 bushels. 

Oranges. — Six parishes report 2,477 acres, with a 
crop ranging from SO boxes in Jefferson to 145,000 in 
Plaquemines Parish, while St. Helena claims a few 



2» 




CULTIVATING CORN— TRAVELERS' REST STOCK FARM, OUACHITA PARISH. 

21 



trees that made three barrels to the tree, the crop 
being 1S1.SS0 boxes. 

Tobacco. — St. James and St. .Tammany, 364 and 200 
acres, respectively, making 200,000 and 10,000 pounds, or 
a total of 210,000 pounds. 

Vegetables. — Twenty-five parishes report 138,494 acres 
in vegetables and strawberries. 

Milk. — Thirteen parishes report the daily sale of S.090 
gallons of milk. 

Pecans. — This is a growing industry and many groves 
of trees are being planted, and in a few years it will 
be an important factor in Louisiana's wealth. 

The above figures are taken from the last report of 
the State Agricultural Department. 

Climate. 

Its proximity to the Gulf of Mexico secures a preva- 
lence of southern winds, cool and moisture-ladened, 
which mitigates the extremes of weather experienced 
by the States of the North. Though our summers are 
prolonged, the heat is never oppressive, the thermometer 
rarely reaching 95 degrees. In carefully kept records of 
the three Experiment Stations for eight years, 98 degrees 
has been the highest recorded temperature at New 
Orleans, 99 degrees at Baton Rouge, and 100 degrees at 



Calhoun. These maxima amounts have been rarely 
reached, not oftener than one or two days in a summer. 

The winters are usually mild, with an average tem- 
perature of about 53 degrees in the southern, and about 
45 degrees in the northern part of the State. 

Above all other requirements for a good climate, the 
differences between summer heat and winter cold should 
not be too great. Louisiana stands, in this respect, 
almost at the head of the States. She is blessed with a 
uniform temperature. 

Ice appears here but very seldom, and the climate 
of the entire State, from October to May, is an ideal 
one, attractive alike to the invalid and tourist, and 
thousands of visitors from the North are yearly seeking 
this State in quest of health or enjoyment. The hotels 
of New Orleans furnish attractive homes for the opulent 
and fashionable, while men of moderate means can find 
cheap and excellent homes in the smaller hostelries and 
private boarding-houses of the city, in the towns and 
villages scattered over this State, and along the Gulf 
Coast of Mississippi. 

The comparative temperature of New Orleans, and 
of Jacksonville, and San Francisco, is seen below, for 
the winter months of November, December, January and 
February, as compiled from the Weather Bureau records, 
at New Orleans, La.: 



22 




STOCK BEET— AS IT GROWS IX LOUISIANA. 
23 



TEMPERATURE IN DEGREES FAHRENHEIT. 



NEW ORLEANS, LA. 



JACKSONVILLE, FLA. 



SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. 



c 









ii 

.Be 



CO o> 

3 § 



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o> bo 



TO OJ 






November • 61 68 54 S5 30 63 72 52 

December 56 64 49 81 20 57 6S 47 

January 54 62 47 82 15 55 64 44 

February 58 65 51 S2 16 60 70 50 

Season 57 65 50 S5 15 59 68 4S 



81 
81 
84 






26 

19 
15 
14 



86 



14 



56 

52 
50 
52 



64 

57 
56 
58 



59 



TO OJ 



50 
47 
44 
45 



46 



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78 

72 
69 
76 

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Is 



41 
34 
29 
J5 

29 





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Corn and Cowpeas in East Baton Rouge Parish. 




A Louisiana Sweet Potato Field. 



24 








^SBSssbJj&ffii 



A BOSSIER PARISH ROAD. 



ON A BAYOU. 



25 



Regarding the heat of summer In Louisiana, there 
prevails in many parts a totally erroneous opinion. It 
is believed that it must be warmer here than in other 
States because Louisiana is located farther South. Such 
reasoning is utterly false; living in close proximity to 
the Mexican Gulf, and having during the month of 
March, April, May, June, July and August, almost con- 
stantly south winds, we always have a cooling sea breeze. 

Another widespread error is the impression that a 
white man cannot work in this climate during the sum- 
mer, and that only the negro can stand the heat. As 
far as the heat is concerned, the truth has been stated 
above; in regard to labor, it should be said that there 
are .certain people who can never work, because they 
do not want to — during the summer it is too hot, and 
during the winter too cold for them, and they are will- 
ing tu believe that only the negro can stand the heat. 

Our German gardeners and farmers, as well as thou- 
sands of other nationalities, have performed labor in 
garden and field for many years. They need no negroes, 
and feel so comfortable that they prefer the summer to 
the winter. On extremely hot days they work in the 



field only during the morning and afternoon hours, 
"laying off" during the midday heat, as they do in other 
sections under similar .conditions. 

Cases of sunstroke are reported from Northern and 
Western cities by the half hundred; they occur here but 
seldom. 

Rainfall. 

The average yearly rainfall at New Orleans is about 
70 inches, decreasing in quantity as one goes northward, 
with 45 inches as an average in the extreme northern 
portion.' The heaviest showers fall in summer during 
the growing season. Winter comes next in its quantitv 
of rainfall, while our springs and autumns are our dry 
seasons, with only occasional showers. Such seasons 
are conducive to the welfare of our staple crops — - cotton, 
sugar-cane and rice; dry springs permitting a successful 
planting and cultivation of these crops, and dry autumns, 
so essential to the rapid and economical harvesting of 
them. Our regular rains are from the southwest, yet in 
summer they sometimes come from the northwest, and 
when they do they are usually accompanied by thunder 
and lightning. 



26 




BURNSIDE SUGAR REFINERY. 



RIVERS AND WATER COURSES. 



NO STATE in the Union has so much alluvial lands 
or so many miles of navigable waters. The 
widest part of the flood plain, as well as the 
delta of the Mississippi River lies within its 
border. The alluvial and marsh lands derivable from 
this river are over 13,000 square miles. The bottoms 
of thj Red, and its tributaries before it enters this valley, 
about 1,700, the marsh lands vest of the delta about 4,000, 
other alluvial and swamp lands about 600 square miles, 
making in the aggregate a little over 19,000 square miles 
of alluvial land, or nearly one- half of the State. 

The Mississippi and the Red are the chief drainage 
channels of the State, and almost all of the larger 
streams of these basins diverge from them, and hence, 
are called bayous. Before the days of levees they formed 
so many channels, or outlets for the escape of water in 
floods. Such a network of connection has thus been 
formed that it is now difficult sometimes to trace the 
course of an individual stream. As a rule, some large 
bayou flows along the edge of the bottom plain. Bayou 
Macon is on the west of the Mississippi flood plain, 
Ouachita River on the extreme west of the central 
plain, Bayous Boeuf, Cocodrie and Teche, on the west 
of the flood plain of the Red River. In North Louisiana 
the rivers follow the trend of the subterranean rocks. 
In the east they flow southeasterly in the Ouachita, and 
southward into the Red. In the extreme south those 



west of the Mississippi flow southward into the Gulf; 
those east, southeast, into the lakes- 
Navigable Waters in Louisiana. 
(In all of which boats operate during some season of 



Streams — 


the year.) 

Miles of 
Navigation 
61 


Head of 
Navigation. 
.Port Vincent 




78 


Red River 
.Harvey's Canal 


*Bartholomew Bayou . 


... 145 

25 


State Line. Ark. 
.Florence 




30 


Ferry Landing 




70 


.Mouth of Ouachita 




10 








.Lake Lafourche 




11 












... 132 

60 

25 . 


Grand Ecore 




50 


.Spearsville 




75 

75. . 


Washington 
Farmervill 










6 
32 


Minden 



28 




GOING TO DINNER— ASCENSION PARISH. 




OFF ON A SCHOOL, PICNIC— ASCENSION PARISH. 



Streams — 

Grand Caillou Bayou 

Lafourche Bayou 

Laeombe Bayou 

Little River (including 

Catuhoula Lake) 



Miles of Head of 

Navigation. Navigation. 

13 .. 

318 Donaldsonville 

15 Bayou Laeombe 



Louis Bayou 

Macon Bayou 

Manchac Bayou 
Mermenteau Bayou 
•Mississippi River 
Natalbany River . . 
•Ouachita River . . 
Palmyra Lake 

•Pearl River 

Petite Anse Bayou 

•Red River 

Rouge Bayou 

Sabine Bayou 

Sabine River 

Teche Bayou 

Tensas River 

Tickfaw River 

Terrebonne Bayou . 
Tangipahoa River 
Tchefuncta Bayou . 
Vermilion Bayou . . 
Other Streams 



150 Ct L., I. M. & S 

R R Bridge 

15 Bayou Castor 

200 Floyd 

18 Hope Villa 

81 Lake Arthur 

560 St. Paul, Minn. 

12 Springfield 

217 State Line 

25 Palmyra 

103 Carthage, Miss. 

8 Salt Mine 

510 Fulton, I. T. 

15 Shoals, Texas 

75 Catahoula Lake 

387 

91 St. Martinsville 

150 V., S. & P. Bridge 

16 V., S. & P. Bridge 



15 

20 Covington 

49 Pin Hook Bridge 

155 



Total 4,794 

•Portion of navigable stream lying in other States. 



Miles of Navigation in Each State of Mississippi Valley. 

Louisiana 4,794 

Arkansas 2,100 

Mississippi 1,380 

Montana 1,310 

Dakota 1,280 

Illinois 1,270 

Tennessee 1,260 

Kentucky 1,027 

Indiana 1,230 

Iowa S40 

Indian Territory 830 

Minnesota 720 

Wisconsin 660 

Ohio 560 

Texas 550 

Nebraska 440 

West Virginia 500 

Pennsylvania 380 

Kansas 240 

Alabama 200 

New York 70 

Railroads in Operation in Louisiana, Showing Total 
Mileage Operated. 

Arkansas, Louisiana & Gulf Ry. Co 43.40 

Arkansas Southeastern Railway Co 37.55 

Bernice & Northwestern R. R. Co 27.00 

Brimstone Railroad & Canal Co S-.27 

Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Ry. Co 147.74 



SO 



[* pft. w 


iL 


, 




* ''V4 


^w^^B 




^BPS* 






swar* 













I 



fV 






B^ v . r .- V . r :---:A^ ; 





Kreak of Nature : Double Cypress Tree. 



A LOUISIANA HOME. 



31 



Chicago, St. Louis & New Orleans R. R. Co 

(Operated by the Illinois Central R. R. Co.) 

Dorcheat Valley R. R. Co 13.50 

Engelwood, Alexandria & Southwestern R. R. Co. S.00 

Farmerville & Southern R. R. Co 24.57 

Franklin & Abbeville Ry. Co 27.12 

Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Ry. Co 63.. 

Gulf & Sabine River Railroad Co 31.10 

Houston & Shreveport R. R. Co 46.45 

Iberia & Vermilion R. R. Co 20.16 

Illinois Central R. R. Co 302.85 

(Lessees Chicago, St. Louis & New Orleans 

R. R. Co. 

Jackson Railroad Co 4.60 

Kansas City, Shreveport & Gulf Terminal Co 1.0C 

(Operated by Kansas City Southern Ry. Co.) 

Kansas City Southern Railway Co 317. 25 

Kentwood, Greensburg & Southwestern Ry. Co.. 16.20 

Kentwood & Eastern Ry. Co 54. Tu 

Lake Charles Railway & Navigation Co 20.00 

Lake Charles & Northern Railroad Co 52.90 

Leesville East & West R. R. Co 15.50 

Little Rock & Monroe Ry. Co 43.06 

Loring & Western Ry. Co 18.00 

Louisiana Railway Co 30.00 

Louisiana Central R. R. Co 45.12 

Louisiana Railway & Navigation Co 3S1.66 

Louisiana Southern Ry. Co 52.51 

Louisiana Western R. R. Co 259.94 

Louisiana & Arkansas Ry. Co 20S.5S 



Louisiana & Northwest R. R. Co 107.15 

Louisiana & Pacific Ry. Co 59.70 

Louisville & Nashville R. R. Co 63.81 

(New Orleans and Mobile Division.) 

Mangham & Northeastern Ry. Co 3.00 

Mansfield Railway & Transportation Co 15. S5 

Missouri, Kansas & Texas Ry. Co. of Texas 19.29 

(Leased from V., S. & P. Ry. Co.) 

.Monroe & Southwestern Ry. Co 17-41 

Morgan's La. & Tex. R. R. & S. S. Co 555.59 

Natchez, Urania & Ruston Ry. Co 14.00 

Natchez & Western Ry. Co 17. 5S 

New Orleans Great Northern R. R. Co 76.06 

New Orleans, Natalbany & Natchez Ry. Co 25.97 

New Orleans Southern Ry. Co 65.6S 

(Former New Orleans, Ft. Jackson & 
Grand Isle R. R. Co.) 

New Orleans Terminal Co 77.00 

New Orleans, Texas & Mexico R. R. Co 164.30 

New Orleans & Northeastern R. R. Co S3. 62 

New Orleans & Northwestern R. R. Co 137.25 

North Louisiana & Gulf R. R. Co 13.75 

Opelousas, Gulf & Northeastern Ry. Co 64.65 

Ouachita & Northwestern R. R. Co 44.36 

Pontchartrain Railroad Co 9. S3 

(Branch of the Louisville & Nashville 
R. R. Co.) 

Public Belt R. R. Co 10.00 

Red River & Gulf R. R. Co 12.75 

Sabine & Northern Ry. Co 9.50 



St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern Ry. Co 340.76 

St Louis Southwestern Ry. Co S0.61 

St. Louis, Watkins & Gulf Ry. Co 110.99 

St. Louis & San Francisco R. R. Co 

(Co-Lessees Nev, Orleans Terminal Co.) 

Sibley, Lake Bistineau & Southern Ry. Co 30.75 

Texas & Pacific Ry. Co 969.42 

Tioga & Southeastern Ry. Co 18.00 

Tremont & Gulf R. R. Co 92.37 

Vicksburg, Shreveport & Pacific Ry. Co 227.67 

Victoria, Fisher & Western R. R. Co 56.00 

Woodworth & Louisiana Central Ry. Co 24.00 

Yazoo & Mississippi Valley R. R. Co 331.67 

Zachary & Northeastern R. R. Co 10.73 

Zwolle & Eastern Ry. Co 18.00 

Grand total June 30, 1909 6,271.76 

Grand total June 30, 1908.: 6,093.88 

Increase all tracks 177.88 

List of Other Railroads, Including Plantation and Saw- 
mill Roads. 

Alexandria Lumber Company 10.00 

Argyle Planting & Manufacturing Co 

Arkana & Eastern R. R 8.00 

Arkansas & Gulf Ry 12.50 

Baldwin Lumber Company, Limited 7.00 

Baldwin Lumber Company, Limited 4.00 

Bell Lumber Company, J. A 6.00 

Bennett & Eastern Ry 7.55 

H B— 3. 



Bering Lumber Co 9.00 

Bienville Lumber Co 

Big Creek Lumber Co.'s R. R 19.20 

Big Pine Lumber Co 8.00 

Black Bayou Railroad 1° 00 

Black Lake Lumber Co 6 - 00 

Blackman & Dorcheat Ry. (tracks taken up; 

Bodcaw Valley R. R i 24.00 

Boleyn, Natchitoches & Western Ry 7.00 

Bowie, Lafourche & Northwestern Ry 14.00 

Bradford-Kess Lumber Co 4 - 00 

Brakenridge Railway & Navigation Co 14-00 

Brooks-Scanlon Company 600 

Brooks-Scanlon Company 5 - 00 

Brown Lumber Company 12.00 

Burton-Swarts Cypress Company 8.50 

Calcasieu Long Leaf Lumber Co 18.50 

Caldwell-Norton Lumber Company 9.00 

Central Coal & Coke Company 7.61 

Central Coal & Coke Company 9.65 

Cinclare Central Factory Railroad 5.00 

Crowell & Spencer Lumber Co.'s Railroad 3.50 

Culbreath Logging Company 1-50 

Cummings-Moberly Cypress Company 7.00 

Dallas, Sabine & New Orleans Railroad 

D' Arbonne Valley R. R 30.00 

Davis Brothers Lumber Company 10.00 

Day Lumber Company 4-50 

Delhi, Baskin & Southwesten Ry 18.00 

DeSoto Land & Lumber Co.'s Railroad 12.00 



33 



Dibert, Stark & Brown Cypress Co., Limited 5.00 

East & West Ry 7.00 

East & West Louisiana Ry 5.00 

Edgwood Log & Land Company, Limited' 

Enterprise Railway IS. 40 

Frierson Southern Railroad 

Genesee Lumber Co 12.00 

Globe Lumber Company 15.00 

Golden Logging Co 

Goodland Cypress Company. Limited 5.00 

Grace Logging Co 

Gravell Logging Co 

Great Southern Lumber Company 23.00 

Greenlaw Lumber Company 3.00 

Gulf Lumber Company 

Gulf, Sabine & Red River Ry 11.50 

Hall & Legan Lumber Company 6.00 

Hammond & Eastern Railroad 32.00 

Iatt Lumber Company 

Industrial Lumber Co 31.60 

Jeanerette Lumber & Shingle Co., Ltd 6.00 

King Ryder Lumber Co 10.90 

Kingston Railroad S.00 

Lee Logging Co 

Learned's Logging Railroad 6.00 

Little River Valley Navigation & Ry. Co 8.00 

Lock, Moore & Company 

Lockport, Raceland & Lafourche Ry IS. 00 

Long-Bell Lumber Company 

Long-Bell Lumber Company 



Long Leaf Lumber Company 

Longville Lumber Co 6.50 

Louisiana Logging Co 

Louisiana Midland Ry 17.00 

Louisiana Northern Railroad Company 5.00 

Louisiana Saw Mill Company 6.50 

Louisiana & Eastern Ry 10.00 

Ludington, Wells & Van Schaick Lumber Co 10.00 

Lutcher & Moore Cypress Co 10.00 

Lyon Cypress Co 20.00 

McDonald Brothers 6.17 

Martin Tram Co : 13.00 

Martindale & Ouachita River R. R. Co 17.00 

Mathews, C. S 20.07 

Mill Creek & Little River R. R. & Nav. Co 8.50 

.Mississippi River Sugar Belt Ry 24.00 

Missouri & Louisiana Railroad Co .• 6.00 

Missouri & Louisiana Railroad Co 21.00 

Moeling & Northwestern R. R 9.00 

Moore & Company, J. T 

Natchez, Ball & Shreveport R. R 16.00 

Natchitoches Ry. & Construction Co 5.00 

Nigh Rutledge Lumber & Mnfg. Co 1.S9 

North Louisiana Railway Company 6.00 

Oakley Planting Company, Limited 8.00 

Old River & Kissatchie R. R. Co . 16.00 

Orangeville & Sabine River R. R. Company 

Owl Bayou Cypress Co 8.00 

Ozone Lumber Company 

Patent & Burguieres 3.69 



34 



Pennamtch Lumber Co 3.75 

Port Barre Lumber Co 

Quitman & Southeastern Railroad 5.00 

Raceland Plantation R. R. Co 12.00 

Ramos Lumber Company, Limited 5.00 

Rapides Lumber Company 18.00 

Red River & Rocky Mountain Ry 15.00 

Rogers Company, Limited, Ernest 9.04 

Roosevelt & Western Railroad 9.00 

Rose Hill Sugar Company Railroad 5.60 

Ruddock, Bonnet Carre & N. R. R. Co 33.00 

Ruddock-Orleans Cypress Co 10.00 

Sabine Tram Company 10.00 

Sabine & Eastern Railway 

Saint John Lumber Company 

Saint Tammany & New Orl. Ry. & Ferry Co.. 12.50 

Salmon Brick & Lumber Company 14.08 

Salsburg Refining Company, Limited 2.S4 

Sanders-Trotti Tram Co 30.00 

Segura Operating Company 25.00 

Shady Side Company, Limited 16.00 

Shady Side Company, Limited 3.00 

Shamrock & Western Ry 9.00 



Shreveport, Noble & Southern Ry 10.00 

Sims Lumber Company 

Smith Lumber Co., C. L 

Standard Cotton Seed Oil Company 

Star & Crescent Lumber Company. .' 14.00 

Stevens Logging ompany, C. H 7.00 

Stevenson Southeastern 7.00 

Sulphur Timber & Lumber Co 6.00 

Swartz & Ouachita City Ry 22.00 

Sweet Home Plantation Company 8.00 

Tannehille & Western R. R. Co 6.00 

United Lumber Company 5.00 

Valley Lumber Co 5.00 

Waverly Sugar Mfg. & Plantation Co 5.00 

White Castle & Lake Natchez Ry 10.00 

Williams Cypress Company 7.00 

Winnfield Oil Wells Railroad Co 3 50 

Winona & Western Railroad 10.00 

Wyatt Lumber Co 8.00 

Wyatt & Donovan Railway 9.50 

Zimmerman, Leesville & Southwestern Ry 28.00 

Total 1,238.87 



35 



GEOLOGY OF LOUISIANA. 



GEOLOGICALLY speaking, Louisiana is a young 
State, it had no existence at the end of the 
Paleozoic Age. Only a few closing chapters 
of the world's history are here recorded, and 
these have been written by water, which is now, as ever, 
the great factor in landmaking in this State. 

Extent of These Formations. 

Beginning in the southern part of the State, one 
finds the coast marshes, consisting of the blue clay of 
recent date, upon which the mud and clay, brought by 
modern floods and tides, have been deposited. They are 
now in the process of formation, and are overflowed daily 
by the tides. Near the bayous and rivers the alluvium 
brought down by the floods have been piled upon this 
clay, elevating the adjacent surfaces above the level of 
the marshes and making arable land. By leveeing against 
high waters, these lands have become the permanent 
abode of a prosperous population engaged in cultivating 
the soil. Throughout this territory (sea marshes) live 
oak ridges are found, which were reserved until recentlv 
from sale or pre-emption. The timber from these ridges 
was formerly used by the Govenment in building Its 
ships. In modern times iron ships have supplanted the 
wooden ones, and accordingly these ridges are now 
subject to the same laws as apply to other public lands. 
Much of these coast marshes that are now covered 



with reeds and grasses are susceptible of reclamation. 
Dikes similar to those constructed in Holland for the 
reclamation of the land from the Zuyder Zee could be 
built here and thousands of acres of extremely fertile 
lands could be placed under cultivation. This, to a 
limited extent, has already been accomplished in south- 
west Louisiana. Recent contracts, involving the modest 
sum of $35,000,000, have been made for further land 
reclamation in Holland. Simliar sums spent here would 
reclaim much larger and more fertile areas. 

Bluff Lands. 

Above this similar, but somewhat older clay occur 
the carcereous silts and brown loams, brought down 
by streams which antedate those which exist at the 
present time. After the deposition of this clay in a 
sluggish, shallow sea, running well up to Cairo, 111., 
a gradual elevation took place, and this bottom became 
the outlet for the great volume of water falling between 
the Appalachian and Rocky Mountains. This ancient, 
enormous river extended from the present Bayou Macon 
on the west to Vicksburg on the east. It had, like our 
present Mississippi, its high water and overflows. The 
current was, however, not so great, and hence its deposits 
were of a silty or loaming character. These deposits 
continued until both sides of this great stream were 
walled in by high bluffs ten to fifteen miles wide. From 



S< 





Steamboat Loading at Shreveport for New 
Orleans. 



SULPHUR MINES IN CALCASIEU 1'AIUSII. 



S7 



Vieksburg, Miss., to Baton Rouge, La., on the eastern 
banks, these bluffs are continuous. At the latter place 
they swerve to the left and are soon lost against the 
older formations. On the western side these bluffs have 
been partially destroyed, but enough remains to trac? 
the exact position in former times. Upon the western 
banks of Bayou Macon may now be plainly discerned the 
bluff formation constituting what are known as Bayou 
Macon Hills. These bluffs follow this stream through 
West Carroll, Richland, and Franklin. From Harrison- 
burg, in Catahoula Parish, they may be traced by occa- 
sional outcrops through Rapides, Avoyelles, St. Landry, 
Lafayette, Iberia, and St. Mary parishes. The five islands 
jutting out of the sea marshes are of this formation. 
The hills of Opelousas, Grand Coteau, Carencro am 1 
Cote Gelee are remains of these bluffs. The western 
banks of this ancient stream have been almost destroyed 
by water. Between the Ouachita and Bayou Macon they 
have been spread out over nearly the entire country, form- 
ing some of the best lands of the State. Jefferson and 
Mer Rouge prairies of Morehouse, Holloway of Rapides, 
and Marksville of Avoyelles, have all originated from 
disintegrated materials of this ancient ridge. But the 
largest results from this distintegration are to be found 
in the parishes of west Louisiana. They extend from 
Franklin, St. Mary parish, on the east, to the Texas 
line on the west, and from the coast marshes of the 
south to near the extreme northern limit of St. Land.y 
parish. This entire prairie has been reclaimed from the 
salt marshes by the deposition of the material derived ' 

38 



from the western bluffs of this ancient stream. The 
area of this bluff formation is, therefore, quite large in 
this State. 

Stratified Drift. 

North of the pine flats, and participating in the gen- 
eral southward dip of the formations of the State, occur, 
at or near the surface, beds of sand or gravel of the 
stratified drift. This formation is found on the tops 
of the hills of the State as well as below the blue clay 
of the Mississippi River. It is the presence of these 
sands or gravels which cause so much trouble with cav- 
ing banks along this stream. The channel of the river 
has cut its way through the blue clay into these sands 
or gravels. At high water the velocity of this stream 
is considerably augmented, and, therefore, the increased 
erosive force of its waters wear away these underlying 
sands and gravels, and leave the superimposed clay 
stratum undermined, which, when the flood recedes, un- 
supported by the buoyancy of the water, yields to the 
force of gravity and falls into the river, giving in many 
instances, disastrous caves. The gravel of this forma- 
tion is found overlying the salt beds of Avery Island, 
and underlying the bluff strata. This is its most south- 
ern exposure. Rising as one proceeds northward, it 
becomes more or less abundant throughout all of the 
uplands of the State. 
Tertiary System. 

The formations of this system are well represented 
in Louisiana, though they are very generally concealed 
by more recent deposits. 




LIQUID SULPHUR. 




OIL GUSHER NEAR JENNINGS, LA. 



The Neocene beds are met only In the deep oil wells 
sunk In the southern parishes of the State to a depth 
ot from 1,500 to 2,000 feet. The drill proves their pres- 
ence between the depths referred to In many ca^es. 

The Oligocene beds are divisible Into the fresh or 
brackish water Grand Gulf and Vicksburg marine marls 
The former serve to give the principal topography to the 
central portion of the State. They consist of light and 
colored sandstone as exposed at Harrisonburg, Alexan- 
dria, and along the Texas and Pacific Railroad, above 
the last mentioned town. Intercolated with these are 
gray and light green clays. The comparative hardness of 
the layers has produced a series of hills extending in a 
southwesterly direction from Sicily Island and Harrison- 
burg, through Hornbeck to the Sabine river. The Vicks- 
burg beds are exposed only In Catahoula in the vicinity 
of Rosefleld. 

Beneath the Oligocene beds Just described occur the 
selenitic and lignitic clays and marls of the Jackson 
stage. They occur on Sandy creek near the Sabine: on 
the Kansas City Railroad north of Hornbeck; at Mont- 
gomery on the Red river; throughout the calcareous 
prairie region to the east, and at Tullos; again in exten- 
sive bluffs on the Ouachita, north of En.erprise P. O. 
They are usually recognized by the large number of Zen- 
gloden cetnides bones they contain. This animal was, 
as the name suggests, whale-like in character and was 
most characteristic of the Jacksoh stage. Most of the 
"red-lands" of Hie Slate belong to the Claiborne stage. 
Along the Sabine, where the southern dip is considerable. 



this stage has but a very limited areal development, 
though it can be seen fairly well near Florien and 
in the redlands of the Negreet. Above Provencal and 
Natchitoches it is better displayed and from St. Maurice 
it deploys north and east and occupies the j.eatest portion 
of the State between the Red and Ouachita rivers north 
of the Jackson areas described above. Its dip is here 
very slight, southward or eastward. 

That portion of the State west of Red river and north 
of the Claiborne beds is mainly of the Sabine or Lignitic 
stage. About Many and Mansfield the sands and clays 
of this stage are well shown. They contain huge, gray 
calcareous concretions, and also at least three extensive 
beds of lignite. In general, the surface features pro- 
duced by the erosion of these deposits can scarcely be 
distinguished from those of the Claiborne. 

The Midway stage is hardly exposed at the surface 
in Louisiana. A few fossils from Sabine and Winn par- 
ishes have been referred to this stage. 

Cretaceous System. 

Rocks of this system peep out from under the over- 
spreading Quaternary and Tertiary clays and sands In 
several places. The salt licks of North Louisiana, the 
Winnfield "marble" quarry, the St. Landry limestone de- 
posits are of this system. So far as square miles are 
concerned, their outcroppings are insignificant, but their 
good quality of lime-making and building materials, as 
well as their oil and salt-bearing properties in the ex- 
treme southern part of the State renders them of the 
highest economic value to the State. 



40 









v*. 









y** 



> ..«» 











JAPANESE PERSIMMON TREE IN FRUIT. 




Seam of Coal in the Doler Hills, iy 2 r\ei lliick. 



LEVEES OF THE STATE. 



A LARGE portion of the State of Louisiana, 
amounting to 23,000 square miles, which is 
about one-half of the total area of the State, 
is of alluvial formation. By alluvial formation 
is meant that territory which was deposited in geolog- 
ical ages by the Mississippi River. It was slowly 
formed by the mighty river dropping the sediment which 
it carries to the sea and this sediment thus deposited 
rising higher and higher and filling up the estuary 
which extended as far up as Cairo, became in the course 
of ages the richest agricultural ground in the United 
States. It has been often said that territory thus formed 
was the "cream of the soil of the United States." 

This alluvial part of Louisiana through which the 
Mississippi, Red and the Atchafalaya rivers flow in 
their onward course to the sea, is thickly settled and 
highly cultivated; but at the time of flood in these rivers 
the extreme high water which they carry to the sea 
would overflow this alluvial territory were it not for the 
artificial embankments, or levees, as they are called, 
which line the side of these streams. The earliest set- 
tlers in the State of Louisiana first occupied the highest 
spots in these valleys, spots which are rarely overflowed 
and only by extreme high waters. Even then, at times, 
they found it necessary to surround their properties by 
artificial embankments or levees, in order to protect 
themselves from overflows at times of extreme flood 



period. Little by little, as the country became more 
settled, additional alluvial territory was occupied by 
civilization, and these levees had to be extended along 
the banks of the streams. 

At first the levees were built by the riparian inhabi- 
tants themselves and at their own expense. In the 
course of time, however, the State appropriated monej 
for the construction of levees, and later on, the alluvial 
territory was divided, by legislative enactments into 
levee districts, which taxed themselves varying amounts 
in order to maintain these levees. Finally, the United 
States Government, recognizing that the' levee system 
was necessary to improve and maintain the navigability 
of the Mississippi River, devoted a certain amount of 
money annually to the construction of levees. 

At present the levee line by which the State of 
Louisiana is protected from overflow is about 1,430 miles 
long. Of this, 815 miles is situated on the Mississippi 
River, 395 miles on the Red River and tributaries, 70 
miles on the Atchafalaya River, and 150 miles on Bayou 
Lafourche. 

The State of Louisiana levies, for levee purposes, 
a 17-20-mill tax on all assessed property within its 
boundaries, whether it be situated on alluvial land sub- 
ject to overflow, or hill lands above overflow. This yields 
approximately $315,000 a year. In addition, the alluvial 
territory has been subdivided into 16 levee districts, 



42 










'Wi&mmwm 



*£ft^--JsK» '■' ^'^^•**^ ~>^SSJfe ^a.--**" 1 " 






; 



i - 



LEVEE CAMP ON THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 



and 2 sub-dlstrlcts, vhlch, by local taxation, raise a. 
revenue of approximately $1,000,000 a year for levee- 
building. This revenue is raised, first, by an ad valorem 
ta:: on the assessed value of the property, which is 
generally ten mills on the dollar; second, by a land 
tax, which is generally 2% cents per acre; third, by a 
produce tax levied on cotton, sugar, sugar-cane, mo- 
lasses, potatoes, onions, rice, and even oysters; fourth, 
by a tax on every railroad, varying from $20 to $100 per 
mile. In addition to this the various levee districts 
have the right to issue bonds, the proceeds of which 
are devoted to levee building, and the total authorized 
issue of which amounts to $4,999,000. The United States 
Government, through the Mississippi River Commission, 
has been disbursing about $700,000 per year for the last 
several years in levee building on the Mississippi River. 



These taxes, high as they may seem, are easily and 
cheerfully met by the residents of the alluvial portion 
of the State of Louisiana. The planters find their levee 
tax is cheap insurance against the floods which formerly 
used to inundate their crops; and, moreover, the pro- 
ductiveness of the alluvial lands of the State of Louis- 
iana is so great, and the returns yielded by agricultural 
products raised on these fertile lands so far exceed in 
value those obtained from the less productive hill lands, 
that this tax, or insurance, is considered cheap and 
easily met. 

The levee system, although not yet complete, either 
in extent, or in size, has substantially and practically 
protected the State of Louisiana from overflows since 
1893, and the day is not far distant when its completion 
will insure full protection to the inhabitants of that 
most fertile section of the State. 



AGRICULTURAL DIVISIONS OF THE STATE. 



T 



HE STATE may be divided agriculturally into 
five parts: First, alluvial region; second, bluff 
soils; third, good uplands; fourth, long-leaf pine 
region; fifth, central prairie region. 

First, Alluvial Region. 

This region may be conveniently subdivided into 
three parts: First, alluvial of Mississippi River and its 
outlying bayous; second, alluvial of Red River and its 
outlying bayous; third, the "larshes of the coast and 
lakes. 



As before remarked, this region occupies about 
19,000 square miles, and its vast possibilities in the near 
future for supporting millions of beings are simply in- 
conceivable. The lands of this section are now leveed 
against the annual encroaching floods of the rivers which 
traverse them. Several millions of dollars are annually 
spent in enlarging and strengthening these protecting 
earth walls. When these streams, as they will be in a 
few years, shall be safely controlled in their annual rises, 
and the confidence of the people established in the ability 



44 




*%m 




Live Oak on Bayou Teche 



BLACK GUM OR SATIN WALNUT. 




Picking Cotton. At end of row. 



46 



of levees to thoroughly protect, then will a full appre- 
ciation of the intrinsic merits of these lands be realized, 
and high values be established. 

Dr. Hilgard speaks of this region as "the most 
fertile agricultural lands of the State, equaled .by few 
and surpassed by none in the world in productive 
capacity." 

Alluvial Region of the Mississippi River and Its Out- 
lying Bayous. 

The parishes of this region north of the mouth of 
Red River are East Carroll, Madison, Tensas and Con- 
cordia, entirely, and parts of Morehouse, Ouachita, Union, 
West Carroll, Richland, Franklin, Caldwell and Cata- 
houla. South of the mouth of Red River the whole of 
the following parishes are included in this region: 
Pointe Coupee, West Baton Rouge, Iberville, Ascension, 
Assumption, St. James, St. John, St. Charles, Jefferson, 
Orleans, St. Bernard, Plaquemines, Lafourche and Ter- 
rebonne. Parts of Avoyelles, West Feliciana and East 
Baton Rouge are also alluvial. In treating of the soils 
of this region it would be best, perhaps, to adopt the 
local custom and call all of that portion north of the 
mouth of Red River north Louisiana, and all south of 
it south Louisiana. This should be done, also, from an 
agricultural standpoint, since the soils of the northern 
section are of a lighter, sandier character than those of 
the southern section. Cotton was the chief crop in the 
former, while sugar-cane dominates among crops in the 
latter, but now corn, rice and peanuts are planted in 
large areas in the northern section. 



Alluvial Lands of Mississippi River in North Louisiana. 

Crossing the State from the Mississippi River west- 
ward along the Arkansas line, one encounters alluvial 
bottoms separated by spurs of hill land running down 
from Arkansas, until the hills west of the Ouachita are 
encountered. Bayous Macon and Tiger are encountered 
after a journey over alluvial bottoms of eight miles 
from the river. Westward of these bayous begin the 
Bayou Macon Hills (bluff formation), which are here 
about eight miles wide. They extend in a widening belt 
to the southward eighty-five miles, terminating in Sicily 
Island. Their widest extent occurs just north of Winns- 
boro, in Franklin parish, and is here nearly twenty-five 
miles. 

Descending from these hills, going westward along 
the Arkansas line, the valley of the Boeuf River is 
entered. This extremely fertile valley is here also about 
eight miles wide and extends southward, with about the 
same width until it merges into the valley of the 
Ouachita River, eighty miles distant. 

Westward of the Boeuf River "alluvials," we en- 
counter a true ridge of the tertiary formation stretching 
out from Arkansas well down into Louisiana, and cut off 
at some remote day from the main hills by the Ouachita 
River and its tributaries. 

This ridge has been intersected by Bayou Bartholo- 
mew (which empties into the Ouachita), leaving a nar- 
row tongue between it and its confluent. This ridge 
varies in width from four to thirty-five miles, and is 
known locally as Bastrop Hills, the town of Bastrop, the 
parish seat of Morehouse parish, being situated thereon. 



46 




TRUCK FARMING (TOMATOES)— L. P. ALEXANDER'S TRUCK FARM, OUACHITA PARISH. 

47 



The Ouachita River forms the western boundary of 
the flood plain of the Mississippi Valley, and borders 
the hill country (good uplands) of Union, Ouachita, 
Caldwell and Catahoula parishes. Along this river and 
its tributaries, Bayous d'Arbonne, De Siard and Bar- 
tholomew, some of the finest cotton plantations of the 
State are situated. These alluvial lands are in many 
respects most desirable, since their easy culture, profuse 
fertility and absence of levees (the upper Ouachita being 
above the highest overflow), all conspire to give profit- 
able returns under good culture and management. The 
tertiary ridges mentioned above are similar to the good 
uplands described elsewhere. There are some "prairies" 
scattered through these ridges, with soils varying from 
pure sands to whitish clays. In Ashley County, Ark., 
similar prairies, with the latter soils, have, by drainage 
and tillage, been made highly profitable. 

Seymour's and Dubull's, in northern Morehouse, and 
Prairie du Bois, in southern Ouachita, are of sufficient 
size to merit a distinct coloring on the agricultural map 
of the State. Prairies Mer Rouge and Jefferson lie at 
the eastern foot of the ridge in Morehouse parish. They 
are extremely fertile tracts of a few thousand acres 
each, and properly belong to the "bluff formation." The 
name of the former, Mer Rouge (Red Sea) is derived 
from the prevalence of a sumac (Rhus copalina), whose 
leaves and berries in autumn are brilliantly red. This 
shrub, and a few hawthorns, are the only tree growth 
on these prairies. 

Descending the western banks of the Mississippi 



River from the Arkansas line to the Gulf, no uplands are 
found, and the entire country adjacent is wholly alluvial. 
Levees constructed and maintained at public expense 
extend this entire distance, and protect the lands from 
overflow in high water. Examination will show that 
the highest lands of this alluvial region are immediately 
on the banks of the river. This is true of every stream 
that overflows its banks in high water. It is accompanied 
throughout its course by a ridge, the resultant of the 
debris deposited by it in each successive overflow. From 
this ridge the lands slope gently to a low-lying cypress 
swamp, which is usually the drainage basin between the 
two streams. 

The bank of the Mississippi Ri\er in Louisiana, 
opposite Vicksburg, Miss., is eight feet above the banks 
of the Tensas, twenty above the Lafourche, and ten 
above Monroe, on the banks of the Ouachita. Before 
the days of levees, every overflow carried the waters 
to these lower levels and frequently filled the entire 
alluvial district, even up to the banks on both streams. 
These floods restricted settlement on these lands in the 
past, but now, with our system of levees perfected, it 
is expected that they will be rapidly occupied. 

The soil next to the river is not only the highest in 
elevation, but is, as a rule, the lightest, or sandiest — 
the amount of sand depending largely upon the size and 
velocity of the stream depositing it. Hence, on the 
Mississippi River, soils too sandy for profitable cultiva- 
tion are sometimes found. These sandy or loamy front 
lands can easily be istinguished from the stiff back 



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49 



lands by th^ tree growth, tn north Louisiana the tr^e 
growth of the front land is Cottonwood, which is sup- 
planted by the willow on similar lands in sou'li Louis- 
iana. As explained elsewhere, the front lands are formed 
of the deposits from the present river, while the back 
lands are the deposits from an ancient stream which 
antedated our present river, and one which possessed 
little or no current. The. closely resemble the clay 
soils now being formed in our swamps. They are uni- 
versally known in north Louisiana as "buckshot" lands, 
on account of the excellent quality which they possess 
of crumbling into small roundish fragments on drying — 
a property which gives them the highest agricultural 
value, since they combine the high fertility of clay soils 
with the easy tilth of light, loamy ones. The dark buck 
shot soils are esteemed, for permanent productiveness, 
the finest soils in the world. 

Analyses made of similar soils from Mississippi by 
Dr. Hilgard, show them to contain the largest amount 
of plant food, and "justify the reputation of being the 
most productive and durable soil of the Mississippi 
bottoms." Unlike most other clay soils, they may be 
tilled at almost any time when the plow can be propelled 
through them, because, on drying, they crumble spon- 
taneously into a loose mass of better tilth than many an 
elaborately tilled upland soil. It is of s jch a depth thai 
the deepest tillage, even by the steam plow, would nol 
reach beyond the true soil material; and its high absorp- 
tive power secures crops against injury from drought. 
At the same time (owing, doubtless, to its being traversed 



by Innumerable fine cracks and underlaid by gravel of 
sand), It drains quite readily. The front lands are also 
highly esteemed, and but for the proximity of the "buck- 
shot lands," with which they are compared, they would 
be held of the highest value. Drainage and proper tillage 
will always evoke from these soils the highest yields. 

South of Red River. 

Here the scene changes. Both the crops and the 
landscape vary from those described. Sugar-cane now 
becomes the chief crop, while the cultivable soil adjacent 
to the banks decreases in width as we descend the river. 
Above the Red River all of the so-called bayous become 
ultimately tributaries of the Mississippi. Below Red 
River there is a perfect network of bayous, leaving the 
river outlets to the Gulf for the enormous volumes of 
water pouring through the Mississippi in times of flood. 
Along thes>'- bayous lie extensive areas of arable land, 
cultivated in sugar-cane, corn, rice, etc. Here, as well 
as on the banks of the Mississippi, extensive and highly 
improved sugar plantations, with palatial homes, large 
and splendidly equipped sugarhouses, and well arranged 
laborers' quarters, are everywhere to be found. Between 
the bayous and back from the main river occur extensive 
swamps of cypress and swamp cane, the latter less 
abundant near the coast. The land cultivated on the 
river varies in breadth from one to three miles, while 
on the bayous it is from a few hundred yards to one 
or two miles. Back nf the cultivated lands are the 
vooded swamps, into which the drainage of the planta- 
ilon Is sent. 



Eu 



Sometimes detached portions of high land, having 
no present reference to any of the existing streams, are 
found four to ten miles from the present water courses. 
They are usually covered with timber, and in clearing, 
the latter is burnt, hence, such clearings are usually 
known as "Brulees." Again, small islands jut up out 
of the marsh and abound in swamp cane,' which furnishes 
excellent grazing for stock in the winter. 

To these lands, cattle were formerly sent in larero 
numbers, and hence, were called "Vacheries." 

As we descend the Mississippi, the soils are less 
varied in character. As a rule, they are less sandy, and 
true buckshot soils are rare. The latter are probably 
too deep to take part in soil formation. Usually the 
soils of this region are divided into three classes — 
"sandy," "mixed," and "stiff." They vary only in 
the proportion of clay they contain — those with the least 
are called sandy, and those with the largest amount stiff. 
The mixed soils are intermediate in character. As a 
rule, the sandy soils are the most esteemed, being easier 
tilled and drained. Their relations to bent is such that 
they are the last to start vegetation in the spring and 
the last in the fall to be affected by frosts. The con- 
verse of this is true in regard to the stiff soils. Being 
dark in color, they absorb heat rapidly in the spring, and 
thus force an early vegetation. In the fall, on account 
of rapid radiation of heat, they are the first to be hurt 
by the fr..st. They are difficult to drain and cultivate. 
nnd hence, are not in high request. On the other band. 
tliej usually «ive a sweeter cane, but a lower tonnage 



per acre than other soils. Mixed soils possess properties 
intermediate between those described and are very valu- 
able. It is probable that for all purposes they are the 
most valuable of the three. It frequently happens that 
all three of these soils may occur in a small field. In 
fact, so frequent in the immediate past have been crev- 
asses and overflows that the entire alluvial soil of 
south Louisiana may be ascribed to them The original 
deposits made by the river when its banks were being 
formed, and before the days of the levees, are rarely 
within the reach of the plow. Hence, the diversification 
of soils within a small area. 

Numerous analyses of soils taken throughout south 
Louisiana have been made, covering every variety from 
the sandiest to the stiffest clay, and they all show them 
to be rich in the essential elements of plant food, and, 
as a rule, require only physical amelioration (chiefly 
drainage and good culture) to produce excellent crops. 
Since all these lands slope away from the river to the 
swamps, they can, as a rule, be easily drained by open 
ditches. Tiles have also been used successfully and ex- 
tensively. Their great cost have prevented their general 
use. 

The total area of the State is 45,<H0 square miles of 
land, with several thousand acres of fresh and salt water. 
The land is distributed as follows: 

Alluvial lands 13,255 

Bluff and bluff prairies 5,739 

Oak and hickory uplands S.103 

Long-leaf pine hills 7.JS2 



51 



Long-leaf pine flats 2,556 

Central prairie region 785 

Coast marshes 7,420 

Such are the geological and agricultural features of 
this State. A State of marvelous fertility of soil, with 
the largest length of water courses, with splendid rail- 
road connections, with superb climatic conditions. A 
State connected inland by the great Father of Waters, 
with an immense territory stretching from the Appala- 
chian to the Rocky Mountains, and outward, through its 
mouth, with every port of the globe. A distinguished 
son of another State has truly said: "The northern 
coast of the Gulf of Mexico is the natural center of trade 
for the Western Hemisphere. The configuration of the 
continent, the direction of the great rivers, the sweep 
of the ocean currents, and the prevailing winds, all 
point to the mouth of the Mississippi as the natural 



center. There is land enough adapted to the growth of 
sugar contiguous to New Orleans to supply the wants of 
the continent, and to furnish vast quantities for exporta- 
tion. It only needs the proper application of machinery 
and labor to effect this great result. New Orleans is to 
be the grandest emporium of trade for the continent. 
When ship communication is made across the isthmus, 
New Orleans must become the great center of trade for 
North America, and nothing can divert it but an imperial 
despotism holding huge investments of capital else- 
where." 

This prophecy is being fulfilled, and the millions of 
acres of land adjoining this river, and tributary to this 
already great emporium, must, at an early day, become 
peopled with busy millions of souls striving in this 
balmy climate for the mastery of the agricultural world. 
To prepare for this great contest the first question to 
ask is, What Louisiana's lands will grow? 



52 



WHAT LOUISIANA'S LANDS WILL GROW. 



A HE GENERAL IMPRESSION prevails that the 
South can only grow cotton, sugar-cane, tobacco 
and rice; that other crops cannot be grown 
successfully, and that hay-making and stock- 
raising are impossibilities in this sunny land. 

This erroneous impression has been produced by the 
persistency of our planters and farmers in growing the 
above crops, a persistency largely inherited and acquired, 
with our large plantations filled with ignorant, unskilled 
laborers, who rave been disciplined since youth in plant- 
ing methods. But the climax has been reache.l. Planting 
on a large scale is no longer popular. Unreliable labor, 
low prices, soil exhaustion and high money rates have 
shorn this business of all its pleasures and most of its 
profits. Disintegration and division is now the order for 
the day, and the large plantation of yesterday will be 
tomorrow the abode of many happy and prosperous 
farmers. 

The question may be asked, What else can be grown 
In Louisiana? The reply is a sweeping one; nearly 
eveyrthing capable of growth in a temperate or sub- 
tropical country. Wheat has been, and can be, grown in 
the northern part of the State. Oats sown in the early 
fall, and using the rust-proof varieties for seed, will 
make as finely here as anywhere on earth. Over ICO 
bushels per acre have been grown on the alluvial and 



bluff lands of the State, while the hill lands of north 
Louisiana have frequently given over sixty bushels per 
acre. Spring oats are sometimes successful, but are not 
generally to be recommended. Eye and barley, if home- 
grown seed be used, will thrive all over the State, and 
are frequently sr ,vn for winter pastures. The stock are 
turned on during the winter, and at the beginning of 
spring they are removed and the grain permitted to 
mature, frequently with large results. 

Corn can be grown easily all over the State, and if 
the same attention and methods of cultivation were 
given it here as in the corn-gruwing Stales of the West, 
the average yield per acre would be bit little under 
that produced there. But corn has been a side issue 
with the cotton _nd cane planter, and cultivated as little 
as possible. Under this "touch-and-go" method, the 
yield of the State during the past years was but little 
below 25.000,000 bushels. By proper rotation, fertiliza- 
tion and cultivation, this yield coul ' easily be double 1, 
and it is claimed by the United State Government re- 
port to have already reached that point. Upon the 
alluvial lands of south Louisiana the sugar experiment 
station has made 100 bushels per acre. Sixty to ninety 
bushels have been obtained at the State experiment 
station at Baton Rotigj upon the bluff lands, and thirty 
to sixty bushels are the yields upon the rotation fields 



53 



of the north Louisiana experiment station, situated at 
Calhoun, upon the yellow sandy loams of the oak and 
short-leaf pine hills. It is reported that 28 boys of the 
Louisiana Corn Clubs of 1910 grew each -lore than 100 
bushels per acre and the average yield of 256 boys 
was 61 bushels and the experiments all along that line 
indicate that Louisiana is developing into a great corn- 
growing State. 

One caution is needed in planting grains of all kinds 
here — that is, for a general crop use home-gro- n, accli- 
mated seed, e. g., corn grown here is planted in early 
March, and harvested in August and September, while 
seed from the extreme North planted at the same time 
will probably mature in May, and that, too, with only 
a partial crop. Wheat and oats, per contra, planted In 
the fall from seed raised in the extreme North, will not 
ripen before June or July, if at all (the rust frequently 
destroying it before ripening), while home-raised seed, 
sown at th-> same time, will be ready for harvest in 
May. If. therefore, we desire an early crop of corn, we 
obtain seed from the Xorth, and if an Lnrly crop of oats, 
wheat, barley or rye be desired, we .'end South for the 
seed. The reasons are obvious, when we remember that 
each comes to cs inheriting the habits of the count rv 
from which it came. In the North the summers are short, 
and the time of the growth of the corn is, therefore., 
limited. In the South, the winters are short, and. there- 
fore, the period of repose 's materially shortened, and 
early maturltj follows. This involves the whole question 
nl .h < in, i i ,< n. In Louisiana, under good culture, the 



corn crop will be from 20 to 100 bushels per acre. The 
latter, of course, being the fancy figures and as yet only 
made in exceptional cases. 

German and cat-tail millets, the sorghums, both sac- 
charine and non-saccharine, clovers, grasses and root 
crops, cow peas, teosite and other forage crops can be 
grown over the entire State in larger quantities per acre 
than elsewhere, since the tendency of our climate and th? 
extreme fertility of our soils are to make "weed." 

Vegetables of all kinds can be, and are, grown in 
largo quantities. Besides those grown in the North and 
West are many other's, peculiar to the South, such as 
okra, globe artichoke, lima beans, etc, beets, cabbagf, 
lettuce, radishes, turnips. Mustard, cauliflower, English 
peas, etc., are grown through the winter in open ground. 
In fact, every home, however, humble, has its garden, in 
which most of the vegetables are grown. Besides these 
home gardens there are thousands of acres devoted to 
truck-growing and market-gardening. From the latter 
our own cities and towns are supplied, while the former 
utilize many thousands of cars in transporting their 
products to the Western markets. 

Of fruits a variety of superior excellence can bo 
grown here. The apple is grown in the northern part 
of the State. The pear, particularly the Chinese type, 
all over the State. The peach will grow everywhere, hut 
it fruits best in the hill lands. The native and Japanese 
varieties of plums do well everywhere. 

Grapes can begrown in every parish, but succeed 
' st in the uplands. Blackberries, dewberries and mul- 



64 




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55 



berries grow wild in every parish; so do the wild plu us 
in the hill lands. Strawberries are perfectly at llo:iie 
everywhere, and in some sections are largely grown iov 
the markets. As early as February 18 they were on 
sale in the markets this year. Raspberries, currants 
and gooseberries do not thrive so far South, 

Pecans grow and bear abundantly all over the State. 
Some of the larger varieties, especially the paper shell, 
command fancy prices on the market. English walnuts 
are grown in some of the southern parishes. 

Oranges, kumquats and pomelos are grown through- 
out south Louisiana, while lemons, guavas, bananas and 
pineapples are grown on the extreme Gulf coast. Tlie 
kumquat and pomegranate are found in nearly everv 
yard of south Louisiana. Figs are cultivated in every 
parish, while in south Louisiana they are largely gro.vn 
for the canneries. 

No mention is made in this article of our staple- 
crops — cotton, sugar-cane and rice — since they are in- 
separably connected in every man's mind with Louisiana 
and New Orleans. 

This bare recital will show the wonderful capabili- 
ties of our soil and climate from an agricultural stand- 
point. Turning to the forests, we find a wealth of 
Nature's products ready for the harvest, to be turncJ 
by man's skill and ingenuity into the various forms and 
shapes suitable for man's varied wants. Timber nnr! 
lumber trees, stave timber, box timber, hub timber, spoke 



timber, tray timber, hoop timber, ship timber, bucket 
timber, etc, crown our hills, decorate our valleys and 
fill our swamps. Shade trees of the densest foliage anJ 
of most beautiful shape everywhere abound. The ever- 
greens and deciduous trees grow side by side In every 
forest. The magnolia and the live oak intertwine their 
boughs with the beech and the ash, while the holly and 
the dogwood bask in their shadows. "Willows abound in 
our swamps, ready for conversion into charcoal or to be 
made into baskets and boxes. 

Louisiana does not appeal alone to the utilitarian. 
Her aesthetic products are perhaps more wonderful than 
her useful ones. Flowers of brilliant tints and attractive 
forms fill her fields, her woods and her swamps. Her 
climate favors the growth of native flowers as well iw 
the delicate and highly-prized exotics. Roses bloom in 
great profusion throughout the winter in open air, while 
japonicas, hibiscus and poinsettias of beautiful shades 
and brilliant tints are found in many yards. Tea olives 
and magnolias (fuscata), and cape jasmines perfume U~.e 
air with their delicious fragrance, while chrysanthemums 
and geraniums give brilliancy to every garden. 

Palms of endless varieties furnish the center pieces 
of many private yards, and ornament our parks and 
public squares. 

Such, in brief, are the products of our soil. For the 
guidance of those seeking a home in our midst the 
following details of crops from here are given: 



56 




CUTTING LESPEDEZA HAY IN SEPTEMBER AFTER HAVING HARV ESTED A FULL CROP OF 

OATS IN MAY ON THE SAME GROUND. 



57 



SUGAR CANE. 



WAS first introduced in Louisiana by the Jesuit 
Fathers in 1751; but it was not until 179 1 or 
1795 that Etienne DeBorc made the first com- 
mercial crop of sugar therefrom. A large 
number of planters soon followed Mr. DeBore's example 
and began the erection of sugar-houses all over Liie 
southern part of the State. With each succeeding year 
names were added to the list of sugar planters, and all 
of them rapidly accumulated wealth. The first cane cul- 
tivated was the Creole variety, which in turn was fol- 
lowed by the Tahiti variety. Neither of these was very 
satisfactory, and an additional impulse was therefore 
given to the industry in 1S20 by the introduction of our 
striped and purple varieties by Mr. John J. Coiron 
These varieties were brought by Mr. Coiron from Sa- 
vannah. Georgia, and were imported and planted upon 
the 'St. Sophie Plant.-.tion," below the City of New Or- 
leans-. These canes were found so admirably adapted to 
the soils and climate of Louisiana that they have sprea '. 
all over the State, and now, with few exceptions, occupy 
all the plantations. Recently, however, seedlings D. 71 
and D. 95 have been introduced from Demerara an 
propagated by the Louisiana Experiment Stations. These 
seedlings have been distributed all over the State and 
ire now supplanting nil other varieties. 

Sugar-cane is a gigantic grass, often reaching ten to 



fifteen feet in height, straight during growth, but Is 
bent or declined often by its own weight, or by tin 
winds, at maturity. Its roots are fibrous and lateral, 
stretching in all directions, and usually not penetrating 
the soil to any depth. The cylindrical stalk is romposeJ 
of nodes and internodes (joints), with alternate leaves, 
clasping during growth, receding and falling off at 
maturity. Under the base of each leaf in the i.ode is j 
bud, or eye, which contains the germ of the future cane. 
Experiments first made by Messrs. Harrison and Boveli. 
of Barbados, and since successfully repeated by maiiy 
experimenters in tropical countries, have shown that 
the panicle of flowers produced in tropical countries, 
where the cane arrows contained a few really ferli : e 
seeds. By planting the latter a large number of "seed- 
lings" have been produced, and by selection several of 
these are now coming forward with prominent qualities 
to displace the varieties heretofore used. The seed of 
cane are so small, and so many of them infertile, that 
they are useful only for augmenting new varieties. 

The cane crop of the world is therefore still produc."! 
in the usual way, by planting the entire, or portions of, 
the stalk, and raising young plants from the eyes or the 
buds of each joint. 

The following is the method pursued In Louisiana. 
The ground is thoroughly prepared by deep breakl i<, 



68 




The End of Two Centuries. 



A 12 O'CLOCK SCENE AT A LOUISIANA SUiJAR HOUSE. 



59 



followed by pulverization. Rows from five to seven feet 
wide are laid off and thrown up with high ridges. T'le 
crest of these ridges is opened with a double mould board 
plow, and into this opened furrow stalks of cane (1 to 3) 
are placed in continuous lines and carefully covered Well 
plow or hoes. The drainage is established by quarter 
drains, ditches and canals. From each bud on the cane 
deposited comes a young shoot of cane which tiller.s 
rapidly, giving later a continuous stand of crowded cane. 
In recent years the fields have been greatly enlarge:] 
and the yields largely increased, and, with improved 
implements and more careful cultivation, it is safe l.o 
say that the acre yields have already been doubled. T'ie 
spirit of progress is in the air and increasing results are 
annually obtained from both field and factory. 

Area in Cultivation. 

The following parishes grow sugar wholly or in 
part, and the yields given may be taken as about the 
average crop produce in this State: 

Pounds. 

Ascension 63,860,069 

Assumption 3S.991.14S 

Avoyelles 1,825,870 

Calcasieu 1,000,000 

East Baton Rouge 5,400,000 

Iberia 50,S87,0S1 

Iberville 56,889,314 

Jefferson 7.4S4.437 

Lafayette 19.S61.895 



Pounds. 

Lafourche 72,356,638 

Orleans 4,691,456 

Plaquemines 30.5S9.962 

Pointe Coupee 3,066,680 

Rapides t . 6,681,169 

St. Bernard 3,S50,000 

St. Charles 20,900,020 

St. Martin 61,258,4S0 

St. John 34,147,557 

St. Landry 2,144,436 

St. James 13,144,SS7 

St. Mary 121,013,131 

Terrebonne 59,833,028 

Vermilion 4,365,721 

West Baton Rouge 32,271,899 

Other parishes 2,259,997 

The above gives a total crop of 720,554,948 pounds 
of sugar, and was accompanied by a crop of molasses of 
several million gallons. There are now in operation 225 
sugar houses using vacuum pans, which give an output 
of 95 per cent, of the sugar of the State, with an aver- 
age of 160 pounds of sugar per ton of cane ground, and 
over 3,000 pounds of sugar per acre. The rest of the 
crop is harvested by "Open Kettle" sugar houses, with a 
yield of not far from 2.000 pounds of sugar per acre. 
The area devoted to cugar-cane in Louisiana is about 
300,000 acres. This can be almost indefinitely increased. 
Even in those parishes where sugar-cane growing is the 
chief industry, there are still large areas which may be 



60 




PLANTING CANE IN ASCENSION PARISH. 
61 



profitably devoted to the cultivation of this plant, and 
will be in the near future, wl.en central factories become 
more numerous, or those already erected shall increase 
tin. ir capacities. 

Some of our parishes are growing cane only in very 
limited area, while every acre in them can be profitably 
used in the cane culture. In the sugar parishes there are 
over fifteen thousand square miles, or about 10,000,0u0 
acres of land. There are in cultivation at the present 
time about 1.000,000 acres, or one-tenth of the area, of 
which only about 300, 00C are in cane, producing annually 
over 300,000 tons of sugar, or about one-seventh of the 
total amount consumed in the United States. If the 
entire area now in cultivation in these parishes could be 
devoted exclusively to cane, this section would produce 
one-half of the sugar consumed in our entire country. 
Furthermore, vast areas of these parishes are susceptible, 
with but little expense, of being brought under cultiva- 
tion, and many companies have recently been formed 
with the view of developing this area. If they succeed, 
which doubtless they will, in their efforts, the total area 
available for sugar-cane culture in these parishes would 
be amply sufficient to grow all the sugar demanded by 
the people of this ent'ire country. It is not, therefore, 
impossible for the southern portion of the State of 
Louisiana to grow all the sugar consumed in the Unite! 
States. There are other parishes adjoining the sugar be t 
proper which are beginning to grow cane. The parishes 
of Acadia, Calcasieu, East Baton Rouge and the two 
Felicianas, with sin aggregate area of nearly 6,000 square 



miles, and with little or tu unavailable lands In their 
borders, could easily devote the larger part of their lands 
to sugar, and thus greatly increase the sugar output of 
Hie State. This will ultimately be done when the sta- 
bility of the sugar industry will command the capital tJ 
erect the necessary central factories. 

Central Factories. 

The cost of a central factory capable of working 
daily from 400 to 2,000 tons of cane, with all model' l 
machinery suitable for the manufacture of the best 
sugars, will be from $100,000 to $400,000. The profits of 
such factories, if well located, will be sufficient to justify 
capitalists in erecting them. At the same time, thou- 
sands of small farmers and planters stand ready to 
grow the cane whenever the factories are assured. 

Formerly every cane culturist was also a manufac- 
turer, and upon every plantation of sugar-cane was to 
be found a sugar-house of sufficient capacity to work 
up the crop grown. To-day the scene is changing, 
changing rapidly. Central factories exist (some that 
do not cultivate cane at all, but purchase every stalk 
crushed; others that grow only a part, large or small, 
of the amount consumed). The presence of central 
factories presupposes the existence of cane farmers in 
close proximity. Central factories are greatly increasing. 
The fierce conflict between low prices and profitable re- 
turns has forced out of existence many a small and 
incomplete sugar-house, and will ultimately drive out 
the remaining ones. Ponderous machines with extensile 
capacities must hereafter manufacture the crystalline 



62 




Wt. Carmel Convent. 


















; .;^r*-. -- — ... -- 


*.' " v.". •'-- . ' 



A Relic of the Past — An Old Open-Kettle 
Sugar House. 




Sugar Welinery at New Orleans. 



Convent at Covington, La. 



63 



product of the sugar-cane. It requires a large area of 
cane to supply the daily demands of a large central 
factory; 1,000 to 2,000 tons per day is now a moderate 
allowance for the largest. Under these new conditions 
the growing of sugar-cane for sale to these factories Is 
quite extensively practiced. Small farmers with t<;u 
acres of sugar-cane can find as ready a market for it a» 
the large planter with one hundred times this crop. The 
crops of both are in demand. Growing cane by the ton 
for sale to central factories is quite a profitable business, 
and many have embarked therein, and there is no in- 
dustry in this State offering to the prospective settler 
a greater inducement than the growing of sugar-cane 
for sale in this manner. Sugar-cane is usually bougni 
upon a basis of values for a certain grade of sugar, and 
hence, when the latter is ruling high, the former con- 
forms to it in price. 

Lands in any quantity may be purchased or rented 
well adapted to the growth of cane. The capital re- 
quired will depend largely upon th,e magnitude of t'u- 
enterprise. One's own labor, if intelligently directed, 
will accomplish a great deal towards the cultivation of 
twenty to thirty acres of cane. Additional help will be 
required in planting and harvesting the crop. Good 
land will make from 20 to 40 tons of cane per acre, an 1 
at present the factories are paying from SO cents to ( 1 
per ton for each cent per pound that prime yellow clari- 
fied sugar brings in the market of New Orleans. 

There Is a large field in Louisiana for the investment 
of capital in central factories, and for intelligent labor to 
grow the cane. 



Syrup Making in Louisiana. 

In addition to the regular sugar crop an enormous 
quantity of syrup is manufactured upon a small scale by 
the farmers of Louisiana. Nearly every farmer, lar^e 
or small, grows sugar-cane for manufacture into syrup, 
both fqr his own use and for sale. This industry has 
assumed enormous proportions throughout the Soutu, 
and to-day it is estimated that over half a million bar- 
rels of syrup are annually produced outside of the sugar 
belt proper. Patches of sugar-cane, varying in size 
from a fraction of an acre to 10, 15, 20 acres, are not 
uncommon throughout the State. This cane is harvested 
and manufactured on a small scale with an inexpensive 
outfit, consisting of a horse-mill and evaporator, wi.'h 
boxes and barrels used as juice tanks, sulphur machine, 
etc. With these little horse-mills, extracting not over 
50 to 60 per cent, of the juice of the cane, and with 
these evaporators, losing a large amount of the skim- 
mings, a syrup is produced which sold at prices varying 
from 20 to 50 cents per gallon, insuring to the producer 
an excellent article for home use, and frequently giving 
an increased quantity, which is sold in the local markets 
at good profits. This syrup industry is capable of both 
improvement and extension. The world is hunting for 
pure sugar-cane syrup, and with this increased demand 
is coming increased intelligence and efficiency in the 
manufacture of the syrup, and our planters are ready 
to meet the demands of the market. This syrup is now 
sold in enormous quantities for adulteration with glucose 
by the manufacturing houses all over the country. This 
practice, however, is greatly to be condemned, since It 



64 



destroys largely the value of pure syrup, and the large 
amount of adulterated goods now on the market branded 
as pure prevents the use and consumption of the pure 
article. Those houses which have established a reputa- 
tion for purity and excellence of their products are sell- 



ing them at highly remunerative prices, and yearly there 
is an increase In the number engaged In this business. 
Syrup making bids fair to be one of the most profitable 
industries that can engage the attention of the farmer 
and planter in Louisiana. 




H.B.— 6 



A SUGAR MILL, IN ST. CHARLES PARISH. 



STORING CANE ON A TROLLEY. 



65 



RICE. 



FORMERLY, all the rice grown in this State was 
cultivated on the banks of the Mississippi River 
and its outlying bayous, and watered by these 
streams. Pumps and syphons were used to ele- 
vate the water over the levees. Upon these alluvial lands 
growing rice was an expensive business, involving the 
outlay of a large sum of money, and the expenditure 
of a great deal of labor. A few years since, southwest 
Louisiana began the cultivation of rice upon its own 
prairie in a most primitive way. Rain water was 'col- 
lected by levees and used when needed upon the fields 
of growing rice. So successful were these primitive 
methods, that thousands were attracted to this section 
for the avowed purpose of embarking in rice culture. 
Rice grown only by the aid of rain water is styled 
"Providence rice," and was found, in the long run, to 
be devoid of the large profits which were possible under 
abundant irrigation. Hence, capital soon combined, and 
dug irrigation canals, connecting with some bayou or 
river, from which the water was lifted by large steam 
pumps, for the purpose of irrigating rice. So great has 
been the development along these lines, that in Acadia 
parish alone there are now over 500 miles of canals 
and laterals. Millions of dollars have been spent in 
irrigation, thousands of acres of waste land have become 
rich and productive rice fields, and every running stream 



or bayou is called upon to deliver its full quota of 
water for irrigating rice fields. The planters willingly 
pay large water rents, for the water used upon their 
fields, and both the capitalists owning the canals, and 
the planter using the water, are satisfied with the profits 
upon their investments. Under such powerful stimulants, 
rice culture has grown in this section of the State by 
"leaps and bounds," and to-day Louisiana grows four- 
fifths of all the rice produced in the United States, her 
crop, annually, approximating four millions of sacks of 
the weight of one. hundred and sixty-two pounds each. 

This remarkable development in the field has been 
paralleled in the factory — for almost every town or 
village in this rice section has one or more rice millr, 
which buy their rough rice directly from the planter 
and ship their finished products to the markets of the 
world. There is ample room for the expansion of this 
industry, which is growing yearly at a rapid rate. Grad- 
ually "Providence rice" has been superseded by the 
more certain irrigation rice — as the canals afford the 
necessary water. There are still abundant opportunities 
for the construction of more canals, and thousands of 
acres awaiting, but the revivifying touch of irrigation 
waters, to be transformed into productive rice fields. 
Thousands of Western farmers have transferred th?ir 
wheat implements and machinery from the West to this 



66 




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Reclaimed Alluvial Lands on Atchafalaya River. 



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Interior of Rice Warehouse. 




Field of Sugar Cane in East Baton Rouge Parish. 




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section, and are now successfully using them in the 
growing- of rice, whose cultivation is similar in many 
respects to that given wheat. 

The following is the usual method pursued: 
Lands are well broken with riding plows and pul- 
verized with large harrows, and the rice seeded witii 
broadcast seeders or drills. After germination, the fields 
are flooded and the water kept on them until the rice 
is nearly ready for the harvest, when it is drawn off 
and fields permitted to dry. "When dry, the rice is 
quickly harvested with self-binding reapers. Steam 
threshers convert the rice into a marketable form (rough 
rice), which is sold to some of the numerous mills of 
the State where the finished rice of commerce is pre- 
pared with the accompanying by-products, "rice polish," 



"rice bran," and hulls. The last are used under the 
boilers to furnish steam, while the others are most valu- 
able for. stock feed, equaling in nutrition the middlings 
and bran from the wheat. The straw is either left on 
the field or fed to the stock, additioned by cotton seed 
meal or rice bran or polish. 

"So cheaply and successfully has rice been grown on 
the prairies, that they are now but little more than 
continuous rice fields. 

Good lands produce from ten to twenty sacks of 
rough rice per acre, which sell at prices varying from 
$2.50 to $5.00 per sack. Rice belongs to the cereal fam- 
ily of grasses, and any one familiar with wheat culture 
can easily grow rice. 



COTTON AND COTTON FACTORIES. 



THE COTTON INDUSTRY in Louisiana is one of 
tremendous import and significance. The power- 
ful influence it exerts on trade, its absorption 
of capital, both as product and manufacture, 
places it high in the scale of commercial economics. 
There is no section of the world more fortunately situ- 
ated for the production of cotton than Louisiana. In 
the past it has been of such potent significance that it 
has been called "King." Its future depends on the 
establishment of factories in the South. Cotton producing 
offers an inviting field for speculative investors, because 
the lands which grow it can be purchased cheaply; it 



can be produced at a 'nominal cost. The first thing to 
be done is for the raisers of cotton to send less cotton 
to the East, and manufacture more of it at home. 

Of all the industries which Louisiana has which 
offer inducements, that of cotton manufacturing offets 
supreme attractions. The advantages of location of i 
cotton factory anywhere in the State, on the scene i f 
the production of raw material, is now a trite top.c. 
Fifteen or twenty years ago New England contend'-d 
that it was preposterous for the South to think of manu- 
facturing any grade of goods from cotton. In a few 
years the South has practically driven the East out 



70 




COTTON COMPRESS AT LAFAYETTE, LA. 



of all lines of coarser manufacture, and now Is demon- 
strating that this promise was not over-estimated. This 
subject is receiving a great deal of attention in Louis- 
iana. It has been successfully tried In the Carollnas. 
The inducements in this field are tremendous. There 
are many things which place Louisiana at the head of 
cotton producing States, as a field for the erection of 
factories. First, the cheapness of fuel, oil and coal and 
natural gas; second, the cost and quality of labor; third, 
the abundance of raw material; fourth, the facilities for 
transportation, both rail and water, and the opportunities 
for export trade, furnished by the great port of New 
Orleans. 



Free sites can be obtained In many of the smaller 
towns for the erection of factories; cheap brick and 
lumber are always plentiful for the erection of tae 
factory; cheap labor is abundant, and is always obtain- 
able in Louisiana. Shreveport, Monroe and Clinton have 
tried cotton factories, and other cities and towns are 
moving actively. New Orleans has had a number of 
successful mills, all turning out a good grade of goods, 
which have never failed to find a quick and ready market 
and pay good dividends. 

The cotton seed oil business has grown to be one 
of the most important industries of the State. Nearly 
every town has one or more mills, and there are now 
fifty-one of these mills located in the State. 



TOBACCO. 



THE oak and short-leaf pine hills and the long-leaf 
pine country are eminently adapted to the 
growth of the type of yellow-leaf tobacco, which 
is now in such large demand for plug wrappeis 
and smoking tobacco. 

Experiments all over north Louisiana have demon- 
strated these facts. Experiments at Hammond, in 
eastern Louisiana, made under the direction of the State 
Experiment Stations, have confirmed the opinion pre- 
viously entertained of the adaptability of these pine 
lands to its growth. 

In growing tobacco, care must be taken to grow the 
best The process of curing is an important factor. In 



the experiments in this State the "New Barn," the 
invention of Captain W. H. Snow, of North Carolina, 
has been adopted. Curing is accomplished in these 
"barns" in about three days. On the lighter soils of 
the hills and long-leaf pine sections a most excellent 
type of cigar leaf has been profitably and successfully 
grown. Cigars in large quantities have been made 
wholly from tobacco grown on the Experiment Stations, 
and after trial, have been pronounced of a most excel- 
lent type by expert smokers. 

Upon the alluvial lands of this State, especially in 
St James parish, is grown the far-famed Perique to- 
bacco, which is preferred by many to any tobacco 



72 




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mr ' 1 








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BBHEki i i up 


is JttWjp . - L 


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LOADING WITH COTTON AT NEW ORLEANS. 



Capital City Oil Mill at Baton Rouge. 



71 




CURING TOBACCO AT STATE EXPERIMENT STATION. 
BATON ROUGE. 



74 



Tobacco Barn at State Experiment Station. 



grown. This tobacco owes its excellence to the peculiar 
manner in which it is cured and prepared for the market, 
being practically cured in itj own juice. This crop, 
limited in quantity, finds its way into all of the markets 
of the world at highly remunerative prices It is one ->f 
the ingredients in the famous "mixtures" prepared by 
many manufacturers. Unfortunately in this, as well as 
in many other instances of manufacture, adulteration 
has largely superseded the pure goods, and to-day it is 
believed that nine-tenths of the so-called Perique mix- 
tures contain really not an ounce of pure Perique to- 
bacco. Those wishing to obtain the pure article hud 



better buy it from first hands in New Orleans than 
risk their purchase through manufacturers in other parts 
of the country. 

In north Louisiana as much as 1,600 pounds per 
acre of Yellow-Leaf have been produced. In south 
Louisiana, with cigar types of tobacco, the yield has 
reached over 2,000 pounds. 

Tobacco growing could be made one of the chief 
industries of the State, and with it would come factories 
for its manufacture, and thus the State of Louisiana 
could supply the States west of it with smoking and 
chewing tobacco. 



FRUIT. 



LOUISIANA produces a number of delicious fruits, 
'the various soils of the State govern these to 
a great extent, but there are some which grow 
in all sections. Among these we have the black- 
berries, dewberries, .figs and pears. The berries grow 
luxuriantly in all sections, but there are cultivated va- 
rieties which are very desirable — namely, the Austin and 
Manatee dewberries. Figs grow in great abundance ail 
over Louisiana, and seldom ever fail 'o produce a full 
crop. The ordinary blue fig, known as the Celeste, 
easily leads in popularity. It is the hardiest, and is very 
sweet and prolific. Other desirable varieties are the 
Brunswick. White Ischio, Angelique, Mission, Lemon 
and Reine Blanche. Besides furnishing a full amount 
of material for daily home use, and home preserving, an 



abundance is produced for a commercial canning product. 
The great need is for factories in Louisiana to take 
care of them. They are perishable, hence, refrigerator 
service is demanded for shipment, and then it is doubt- 
ful if much profit could be realized, as decay sets in as 
soon as the figs are exposed, and, besides this, few 
people out of the fig district appreciate the exquisice 
lusciousness of a ripe fig. 

The only pears grown with profit are the varieties 
of the Oriental or sand pears. Of these we have the 
Le Conte, Garber, Golden Russet, Smith and Kieffer. 
The prevalence of blight prevents the culture of any 
of the European pears, hence, little is done with them, 
but the sand pears offer by far the greatest resistance 
to this troublesome disease, and, although often fatal 



75 












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b* 





STRAWBERRY FIELD AT INDEPENDENCE. 
71 



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to them, with proper care little damage will result. 
Many of the European plums do well, also many varie- 
ties of the Japanese sorts, but the European varieties, 
such as the Gages, are not able to stand the long moist 
warm season. Of the Japanese sorts the leading ones 
are the Burbank, Abundance, Satsuma, Kelsey and 
Charbot. 

Another Japanese fruit of great promise is the 
Japanese persimmon. The fruits are large, showy, and 
will stand transportation well. The few sent North 
sell for seventy-five cents and upwards per dozen. Some 
of the finest varieties are the Hyakume, Kuro Kume, 
Nero Zami, Hachiya, Tsurn and Among. 

In the sandier portions of the State — that is, in the 



eastern and northern parts, very good peaches are grown. 
Among the peaches we find the Elberta, Rivers, Snejl, 
Chinese Cling, General Lee, General Taylor and the 
Peentoe. They bear abundantly, but are not as long 
lived as the trees further north. In the southwestern 
part of the State, nearing the Texas line, very good 
grapes are grown, among them being the Concord, 
Champion, Niagara, Eaton, Moore's Early, Herbemont, 
and the Scuppernong. 

Among the apples we have the Red June, Shannon, 
Black Twig, Horn, Astrachan, Yates and Transcendent. 

Below New Orleans is found the orange section, 
which is a most profitable fruit in Louisiana, and is 
treated of fully in the article which follows. 



ORANGE-GROWING IN LOUISIANA. 



SWEET ORANGES were once grown chiefly from 
seed planted in some' corner of the yard, garden 
or lot, and when germinated, permitted to grow, 
unaided by cultivation, pruning or fertilization. 
In the course of time the straggling, neglected trees 
bore fruit — delicious fruit — for home uses. Thus, a 
home knowledge was obtained of the character of Lou- 
isiana fruit, but so little found its way to the outside 
world that the latter knew absolutely nothing of its 
merits. The neglected, enfeebled trees were frequently 
killed by cold or insects or by diseases. The rapidity 
with which orange trees under such adverse conditions 
were destroyed, soon engendered a popular sentiment 



that oranges could not be profitably grown in Louisiana. 
This opinion, however, has now almost entirely been 
dissipated. Profitable orange groves are found all along 
the gulf coast and on both banks of the Mississippi 
River, below the City of New Orleans, and these grov«s 
now receive careful cultivation, pruning and an annual 
destruction of insects. It is true that such winters .°s 
'99 destroy completely the ordinary sweet oranges, but 
such winters are like angels' visits, "few and far be- 
tween." Besides, remedial efforts against such influences 
of cold have been successfully tested and are now almost 
universally practiced. Oranges are now usually propa- 
gated by budding. The different varieties of sweet 



78 




GRAPES AT EXPERIMENT STATION, CALHOUN. 



A LOUISIANA BAYOU STEAMBOAT. 



79 



oranges are propagated upon either the sour or sweet 
orange stock or the citrus trifoliata. The citrus trlfo- 
liata is a very hardy plant, standing the climate of even 
Philadelphia. It is dwarfish in its habits, and therefore, 
is to the orange what the quince is to the pear. By 
budding on this stock, small trees are obtained, which 
may be planted closer together in the orchard. Like 
the dwarf pears, they bear earlier than the standards. 
New varieties of oranges have been introduced from 
all over the world; some of these, notably the Japanese 
contributions, are very hardy. The Satsuma (known 'n 
Japan as Oonshiu) budded on trifoliata will grow and 
bear fruit up to the City of New Orleans. It will stand 
the greatest cold of any citrus fruit. This combina- 
tion is now largely used for growing in half-barrels, In 
northern conservatories. Frequently, trees of this com- 
bination will in three years bear over 100 .-.ranges. With 
provision against these occasional freezes, it may be 
asserted that the sue essful culture of this fruit can 
be carried on in southern Louisiana, provided proper 
attention be paid to the following: 

First — Selection of the hardier varieties upon the 
hardiest stocks. 



Second — To cultivate carerully and keep the orcha r d 
clean of insects and diseases. 

Third — To fertilize properly when needed and to 
select early maturing varieties that can reach the market 
before the Florida and California crops are ready. 

Below the City of New Orleans there is a large 
area devoted to orange growing, affording a livelihood 
to a large number of inhabitants. Recently, attempts 
have been made and which are now full of promise, to 
produce a cross between the hardy trifoliata and some 
of our best varieties of sweet oranges and thus obtain 
a hybrid which will withstand the occasional cold of 
our winters and at the same time give us a marketable 
fruit. Experiments by the Agricultural Department at 
Washington and the various State Experiment Stations, 
have demonstrated the possibility of obtaining this re- 
sult, and it is highly probable that in the next few 
years, orange growing may be largely extended in a 
northern direction, by the use of the products of these 
scientific efforts. Loujsiana's crop for 1910 was 181, 8S0 
boxes. 



80 




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PL1 



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H. B. —6 



SI 



TRUCK INDUSTRY IN LOUISIANA. 



FEW PEOPLE are aware of the extent of the truck 
industry in Louisiana, nor do they appreciate Its 
importance. The leading varieties of all our 
garden vegetables are grown in all portions of 
the State, and while the home garden furnishes an abun- 
dant supply during all seasons of the year, under proper 
management a large number may be grown for commer- 
cial purposes. 

The commercial truck sections are found in various 
portions of the State. Along the Illinois Central Rail- 
road, which leads from New Orleans, north through the 
sandy pine lands, a direct line to Chicago, the most 
extensive truck farms are to be seen. The vegetables 
grown are, radishes, beans, cucumbers, cantaloupes, cab- 
bage, cauliflower, lettuce, eggplants, sweet peppers and 
tomatoes. One town alone, Roseland, shipped 65,000 
bushels of radishes in the earlier part of 1903. Hundreds 
of carloads of these vegetables are sent to Chicago, 
Cleveland and St. Louis markets, during March, April 
and May. This section also furnishes enormous quanti- 
ties of early strawberries, as hundreds of carloads are 
harvested each year, and shipments sent by carload lots 
at nearly every small place in Tangipahoa parish on the 
Illinois Central line. The plants are set in August and 
September of each year, and, as a rule, are kept but 
one year. Abundance of pine straw is used for mulch, 
and, when a spring frost threatens, this is also used ;.o 



cover the blooms as well, oftentimes protecting them so 
that the first fruit will ripen, thus saving the most 
profitable berries borne. The strawberries grown are 
very numerous, with the Klondike as the favorite. The 
Japanese plums are also grown in this section, the 
most desirable varieties being the Abundance and the 
Burbank. 

Another great truck section is found in the imme- 
diate vicinity of New Orleans, and along the River 
towards the Gulf of Mexico, on the New Orleans, Port 
Jackson and Grand Island Railroad. New Orleans is 
supplied mainly from this source, and at the same time 
enormous amounts are sent North. The vegetables 
grown for the latter purpose are, cabbages, onions, toma- 
toes, beans, peas, eggplants, cantaloupes, spinach, rad- 
ishes, beets, carrots, shallots and kohlrabi. Cucumbers 
are also grown, both in hot beds and in the open fields, 
oft-times bringing high returns when sent North, the 
winter prices ranging from 30 cents to $2.50 per dozen. 
In the northern part of the State, leading out from 
Alexandria, along the Iron Mountain Railroad, is found 
a section in which the truck industry is just gaining a 
foothold. So far, tomatoes, potatoes, watermelons and 
cantaloupes only have been grown, but the facilities for 
transportation are so good, and the soil and drainage 
so well suited for successful effort, that a rapid devel- 
opment of trucking along this line is soon to be expected. 



82 



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Packing Vegetables at Kenner. 



Cowpeas in the Drill. 





Experimental Engineering Building, Louisiana State 
University, Baton Rouge. 



Elise Reuss Memorial School — Presented by her Par- 
ents to the School Children of the First Ward 
of Ascension Parish. 



From Vicksburg west to Shreveport, along the Vick.s- 
burg Shreveport and Pacific Railroad, is found another 
section where profitable truck growing has been in- 
creasing from year to year. Irish potatoes are grown 
mainly and, when poperly handled, bring in good re- 
turns, producing from 100 to 300 bushels per acre. Fre- 
quently, the second crop is grown from which seed is 
saved for the spring crop, and which also bring good 
returns from the market. The spring crop is planted 
in January and February, and harvested in May and , 
June. The seed for the second crop is prepared for 
planting by special treatment, consisting of gradually 
exposing the tubers to the light and moisture, which 
matures them and excites eyes into active growth. 
As soon as this is accomplished they are ready for plant- 
ing, which is usually in August. Potatoes planted then 
will mature in November. 

Along the Mississippi Valley Railroad north of 
Baton Rouge, through East Feliciana parish, on the 
Baton Rouge, Hammond and Eastern Railroad, fro in 
Baton Rouge to Hammond, and in the southern portion 
along the Southern Pacific, and in the western parts of 
the State, along the Kansas City Southern Railroad, and 
especially around Shreveport, are now being annually 
made extensive truck shipments. Other north and south 
lines of railway now building in the State open up vast 
territory in the light lands of north Louisiana hitherto 
inaccessible. These lighter sandy lands, so cheap, will 
soon be the truck gardens of the State. The varieties 



of vegetables grown for the Northern trade are as fol- 
lows: 

The Acme and Beauty tomatoes, Chartier radish. 
New Orleans Market eggplant, Peerless and Triumph 
Irish potatoes, New Orleans Market White Spine cu- 
cumbers, New Orleans Market cantaloupe, Drumhead, 
Flat Dutch, Succession, All Seasons,, and Nonesuch cab- 
bages, the Italian and Bermuda type of onions, First 
and Best, and Alaska peas, and the Early Mohawk and 
Valentine bean. Sweet potatoes are sometimes grown 
also for truck purposes; but the home demand almost 
always prevents shipment. It is estimated that the 
annual crop approximates four million bushels. The 
sweet potato is at home anywhere in Louisiana, yielding 
from 150 to 350 bushels per acre. It is an important 
hog and stock food. The varieties most popularly grown 
are Pumpkin. Red and Yellow, Nansemonds, Hayman, 
Providence, Vineless, Jersey, Bermuda, California and 
Southern Queen. A close study of their condition, and 
a compilation of shipping statistics obtained from all 
the railroads of the State, show that the entire weight 
of all kinds of truck sent out of the State for the year 
ending June, 189S, was very close to one hundred thou- 
sand tons. Although this seems like a very large amount, 
there is every reason to believe that the time will come 
soon when that amount will be doubled again and again. 
When the fertile lands so well adapted to truck growing 
are taken up, and new lines of railroad spread out to 
afford the transportation required. 



84 




A LOUISIANA TRUCK FIELD. 



85 



GRASSES, CLOVERS AND FORAGE CROPS. 



THROUGHOUT the entire South, two well-known 
grasses furnish pastures and hay of the best 
quality, and in practically large abundance. 
These are Bermuda (Cynodon dactyon), the 
finest pasture grass in the world, and crab grass (Pan- 
cura sanguinale), which springs up in every cultivated 
field in early spring, and if not disturbed will furnish 
a large cutting of excellent hay in summer. These 
grasses grow all over the South, and, in the past, have 
been considered our worst enemies. 

In south and middle Louisiana, upon the alluvial 
plains, bluff and pine lands, occur many varieties of 
paspulums, several of which are highly esteemed, both 
for hay and pasturage, viz: P. distichium and P. platy- 
caule. These are known by the Creoles as Gazon, and 
by the Americans as Carpet grass. 

A fox-tail grass (Setaria glauca) • also grows luxu- 
riantly all over south Louisiana, and furnishes a fairly 
good hay and pasturage. 

In north and middle Louisiana, and even upon the 
pine hills and flats of east Louisiana, Lespedeza striata 
(Japan clover) covers every available space of unoc- 
cupied ground, even in the forest, affording excellent 
grazing throughout the summer for stock. When cul- 
tivated, particularly upon the bluff lands of the State, 
it makes large crops of a very palatable hay. Many 
thousands of acres are now annually grown, and a num- 



ber of colts and calves are raised exclusively upon it. 
It is especially luxuriant upon the bluff lands, and is 
there worthy of cultivation. In the alluvial lands it 
has not been given extensive trials. 

The varieties of grasses cultivated successfully in 
the North should here be tried only on a small scale, 
since experiments so far conducted have proven thsm 
to be, in many cases, unprofitable. The first essential 
for successful growth of grasses and clovers Is to sow 
them in the early fall, upon well prepared seed beds. 
They spring up at once and get sufficiently rooted by 
spring to resist the encroachments of the native grasses, 
and withstand our long summers, the chief obstacles to 
successful grass culture all over the South. The best 
cultivated grasses are the following: 

Tall meadow oat grass (Arrhenathirum avenaceum), 
planted in early fall upon good, well-pulverized soil, will 
secure a good start by spring and make one or two 
cuttings of hay during the summer. It will last for several 
years and affords an excellent pasturage. It has suc- 
ceeded on the alluvial, bluff and oak uplands. One 
bushel (fourteen pounds) of seed required for an acre. 

Italian rye grass (Lolium Italicum) sown early in 
the fall upon rich, moist land (not wet) will afford two 
large cuttings of excellent hay. The first cutting must 
be made before it flowers, since this grass is an annual, 
and after seeding, dies; forty-five pounds of seed re- 



86 




BOSSIER PARISH EXHIBIT AT THE LOUISIANA STATE FAIR. 

87 



quired for an acre. Succeeds everywhere on good, moist 
soil. 

Rescue grass (Bromus Shraderi) sown in the first 
cool days of the fall, upon well-prepared, fertile soils, 
will give excellent results. Cut before it goes to seed, 
it will give two crops of hay. The last cut (after the 
seed are matured) will drop enough seed to re-seed the 
ground next fall. A good annual for this climate, and, 
if properly managed, will make a perpetual winter grass. 

The following have been partial successes: Red 
top (Agrostis vulgaris), on damp, low soils; orchard 
(Dactylis glemerata), on good soil; English blue grass 
(Festuca pratensis), especially in shady, damp places; 
velvet grass (Holcus lanatus), Kentucky blue grass (Poa 
pratensis), on good soils containing lime, and crested 
dogtail (Cynosanrus crystatus). 

The following new and imported grasses have been 
very successful, but the seed are difficult to obtain: 

Hairy oats (Avena sterilis), growth like common oat 
(Avena sativa), and is an annual; Japanese rye (Agro- 
pyrum Japonicum), a perennial of great merit, growing 
through the fall, winter and spring, and eaten greedily 
by stock. 

Bromus pinnatus, a coarse, rank grass, growing main- 
ly in winter; Phalaris coerulescens, a summer grass 
of great merit, and Panicum palmeri, a summer grass jf 
wonderful growth and strong reproductive power, with 
large, wide blades and full seed heads. 

Bromus Inermis has succeeded upon dry, rich soils. 
Texas blue grass, propagated best from roots, is strongly 
recommended for high lands as a winter pasture. 



It must be remembered that no cultivated grasses 
will succeed upon poor, badly prepared soils; therefore, 
in going into grass culture, prepare lands thoroughly 
by growing first crops of clovers, cowpeas, vetches or 
alfalfa, which prepare the soil for all kinds of gram- 
nacae. Of the clovers: White clover grows in great 
luxuriance, naturally, all over the bluff and alluvial 
lands of south Louisiana. It furnishes an abundant 
pasturage in winter and early spring. 

Red clover can be grown anywhere in the State, 
provided the soil be first enriched and sown in early 
fall. It is, however, not so certain a crop as crimson 
clover, which, when sown in the fall upon fairly good 
soil, will nearly always give a remunerative return ot 
hay. It is an annual, and the seed must be carefullv 
harvested each year for reseeding, since those dropped 
by the plant germinate at once and are killed by thd 
heat of the summer. This clover is particularly to be 
recommended upon the light lands of the State, as the 
clover best adapted to them, but it would be better 
even here to grow and turn under a good crop of cow- 
peas before seeding the land in it. 

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) is wonderfully adapted to 
the alluvial lands of Louisiana. It can also be grown 
upon the best uplands. It should always be sown in 
September or October, at the rate of fifteen pounds per 
acre, upon well drained, deeply plowed, and thoroughly 
pulverized soil. If a good stand be obtained, it will 
afford the first cutting early in March, followed by six 
or seven more cuttings during the year. In fact, six 
to eight cuttings may be realized each year for several 



88 









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TRUCK FARMING — IRISH POTATOES. O. O. CLARK'S PLANTATION, OUACHITA PARISH. 



89 



years. It produces a most excellent hay, rich In albu- 
minoids (14 per cent.), and relished by all kinds of 
stock. It is now finding a ready market in New Orleans 
at $18.00 per ton. Several thousand acres have been 
planted in this crop in the last year or two in this State, 
and the acreage is annually increasing. It is easily 
cured. It is the only forage crop known that will afford 
a cutting of green matter every day in the year. It 
grows continually in winter and summer. 

Lathyrus — Of the three varieties, sativus, sylvestris 
and hirsutus, which have been tested, only the last is 
to be recommended. It springs up in the late fall, grows 
through the winter, fruits in the spring and dies. From 
the seed dropped, it springs up again the next year. 

Vetches — Vicia villosa, sown in the fall, have given 
fairly good results. The other species have not proven 
successful. 

Soja beans (Glycine hispida) have done well upon 
the light hill lands of north and east Louisiana. Else- 
where in the State they have produced good vines, but 
little fruit. 

California, or burr clover (Medicago maculata), grows 
well all over the State, but it makes an inferior hay, not 
generally relished by stock. 

Beggar lice, or ticks (Desmodium molle and Tor- 
tuosum), grows luxur antly most anywhere in the State, 
and when cut young gives a hay which is greatly relished 
by stock. 

Velvet bean (Mucuna utili=) is a most wonderful 
success all over the South. Planted in five-foot rows, 



and seed dropped in hills two feet apart, It will give 
the largest amo.unt of vines of any plant known. It 
affords an enormous amount of food for stock, which is 
highly relished, or when turned under, a vast quantity 
of vegetable matter for the production of humus in ,the 
soil is furnished. It is an excellent soil restorer, the 
tubercles on its roots being larger than any found on 
any other plant. The pods, enclosing large speckled 
beans, grow in racemes on the end of stems scattered 
throughout the mass of vines. It is a valuable addition 
to our leguminous plants, and will be found very useful 
in reclaiming wornout soils. 

Spanish Peanuts — This plant is now grown largely 
for forage. The vines, with their adherent pods, are 
cured into hays and fed to all kinds of stock. They 
also are great sail improvers. See special article on 
another page. 

German and Golden Wonder Millet have been grown 
successfully all over the State. For hay purposes it 
should be cut before it forms seed. 

Cowpeas (vigna sinensis) is the "boss" crop of the 
Southern States. It can be used as a soil restorer, a 
hay crop, and a grain crop. There are many varieties — 
some bunch and some runners. When the berries are 
desired for food the former is best used; when hay or 
soil improvement is desired the latter subserves our 
purposes. The clay, red, black and unknown are run- 
ning varieties. The last is perhaps the best pea known, 
making a large quantity of vines, and, late in the season, 
a full crop of berries. 



90 




IRISH POTATOES. CABBAGE AND CORN IN THE BACKGROUND— CADDO PARISH. 

n 



There is not a well-drained acre in the State that 
cannot, by the application of mineral manures, in con- 
junction with the growing of cowpeas, be made very 
rich. All rational farming involves a system of rota- 
tion of crops, and any rotation of crops in the South 
that omits the cowpeas is an egregious blunder. 

Soiling and Forage Crops. 

The saccharine sorghums are perhaps to be preferred 
to all others. Planted in early spring, two or more crops 
can be cut during the year. All stock relish them and 



at least six to ten tons of dry fodder may be had at a 
cutting. Next to these come teosint (Reana luxuriaus), 
which on rich land gives an immense crop. Of the 
non-saccharine sorghums the yellow milo maize is prob- 
ably to be preferred, if forage is desired, followed bv 
white milo maize, large African millet, Kaffir corn, 
Jerusalem corn, Egyptian corn and wheat. If seed be 
desired the large African millet and Kaffir corn will give 
the best results. 

Pearl millet (Penicellaria specala) is used largely for 
i soiling in the spring and fall. 



FIBRE CROPS 



RAMIE (Boehmeria Nivea), which furnishes a fibre 
nearly equal in value to silk, can be easily grown 
all over the State, and nothing is needed to make 
it a leading crop in Louisiana but a successful 
machine to decorticate it. 

The recent trials of machines for decorticating this 
plant, at the sugar experiment station, Audubon Park, 
New Orleans, gave promise of an early solution of this 
vexatious problem. When the farmer can obtain a ma- 
chine to work up the product of his soil he will not be 



slow in cultivating this plant, since the demand for this 
fibre is practically unlimited. 

So, too, with jutes (Corchorus Capsularis and Olito- 
rius), the fibre from which is used to make grain sacks 
and cotton bagging. These plants can be grown to 
great perfection, and will be largely cultivated when 
the fibre can be successfully detached by machinery. 

Kentucky hemp (Cannabis sativa) can also be grown 
successfully upon the alluvial lands of the State, 



92 




21 

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93 



FORESTRY AND LUMBER. 



THE following are a partial list of the more im- 
portant trees and shrubs of the State: 
Oakti — Quercus alba, white oak; quercus aqua- 
tica, water oak; quercus catesbaei, turkey oak; 
quercus cinirea, sand jack oak; quercus falcata, Spanish 
oak; quercus lyrata, overcup oak; quercus michauxii, 
cow oak; quercus nigra, black jack oak; quercus obtu- 
siloba, post oak; quercus palustris, pin oak; quercus 
p'.-.ellos, willow oak; quercus punus, swamp chestnut oak; 
quercus tinctoria, black chestnut oak; quercus virens, 
live oak. 

Hickories — Carya alba, scaly-bark hickory; carya 
amara, swamp hickory; carya aquatica. water hickory, 
carya porcina, pignut hickory; carya tomentosa, black 
hickory; carya olivaeformis, pecan. 

Ash — Fraxinus Americana, white ash; fraxinus 
platycarpa, water ash; fraxinus veredis, green ash. 

Elms — Ulmus alata, wahoo or winged elm; ulmus 
fulva, slippery elm; ulmus Americana, white elm. 

Gums — Nyssa sylvatica, black gum; nyssa aquatica, 
tupelo gum; liquidambar styraciflua, sweet gum. 

Magnolia — Glauca, sweet bay; grandiflora, magnolia 
macrophylla, cucumber tree. 

Pines — Echinata, short-leaf pine; palustris, long-leaf 
pine; taeda, loblolly, or old field pine. 

Maples — Acer bactatum, hard maple; acer rubium, 
red maple; acer saccharinum, sugar maple. 



Prunus — Americana, American plum; augustifolia, 
Chichasaw plum; serotina, wild cherry. 

Buckeye — Aesculus indet, buckeye; aesculus pavia, 
red buckeye. 

Marshmallow — Hibiscus incanus, marshmallow; hi- 
biscus moschentos, marshmallow. 

Sumach — Rhus glabia, sumach; rhus copallina, su- 
mach. 

Haw — Viburnum, medium haw; viburnum prunifo- 
lium, black haw; viburnum scabrellum, haw. 

Other trees — Ostuja Virginica, ironwood; cornus 
fioida, dogwood; sassafras officinale, sassafras; diospyrs 
Virginiana, persimmon; asimiara parviflora, Papaw; 
gleditschia triacanlhos, honey locust; gleditschia mono- 
sperm , water locust; hamamelis Virginica, witch hazel' 
oxydendrum arboreum, sour wood; myrica cerifera, wax 
myrtle; alnus serrulata, alder; castanea pumila, chin- 
quepin; junipirus Virginiana, red cedar; fagus Ameri- 
cana, beech; tilia Americana, linden tree; carpinus Ameri- 
cana, hornbeam; ilex opaca, ho'ly; enonymus Ameri- 
canus, burning bush; liriodendron tulipifera, tulip or 
poplar; Crataegus apiifolia, hawthorn; sambucus Cana- 
densis, alder; chronanthus Virginica, fringe tree; moms 
rubia, mulberry; maclura aurantiaca, Osage orange; 
betula rubra, red birch; populus monilifera, cottonwood; 
Salix — , willow (many species) ; catalpa bignoides, 
catalpa; plntarius occidentalis, sycamore; negundo 



94 













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95 



aceroides, box alder; celtis occidentalis, hackberry; tax- 
odium distichum, cypress; juglans nigra, black walnut; 
xanthoxylum clava, prickly ash. 

When the areas devoted to the above trees are 
known, some idea of the quantity of timber existing in 
Louisiana will be formed. Of the entire forest wealth 
of the United States over 60 per cent, is situated in the 
South, and of this amount Louisiana possesses the lion's 
share. In fact, it may be said that 75 per cent, of this 
wonderful forest wealth is lying along the tributaries 
of the Mississippi River or Gulf of Mexico, and is 
readily accessible to the wharves of New Orleans and 
Baton Rouge. Millions of dollars have been recently 
invested in these timber resources, and the sawmills and 
planing machines of the North, like the cotton factories, 
are gradually moving South for large profits. The 
greatest timber wealth of this State is in its immense 
areas of long and short leaf pine, and its unparalleled 
forests of cypress. While other Southern States share 
with us the claims for superiority, in both quality and 
quantity of the former, of the latter we stand without 
a rival, in both the immense quantity available and the 
excellent quality of the lumber made therefrom. Only 
a few years ago and our cypress lumber was but little 
known and appreciated; today it ranks with other varie- 
ties of timber in quantity and surpasses all other in 
quality. The Cypress Lumber Manufacturers' Associa- 
tion, which meets monthly in New Orleans, represents 
an output of over 300,000,000 feet of finished lumber 
per year. 



The adaptability of the cypress to the many uses 
in building — doors, blinds, windows, floors, inside finish, 
outside work, bevels and drop siding, etc., and its won- 
derful powers of duration, even when exposed to the 
vicissitudes of sunshine and rain, heat and cold, dry 
and wet climates, have made it a favorite wherever 
known since the times of the Pharoahs of Egypt. So 
highly has it been appreciated of late, that its current 
market prices have scarcely depreciated at all during 
the recent trying financial depression. It will receive 
paint easily, or can be hard-finished with the most beau- 
tiful effect. 

Other Woods — Next to cypress stands in importance, 
both as regards the quantity and excellent quality, our 
long-leaf pine. This tree furnishes also a large industry 
in each of the States of Albama, Georgia, Florida, 
Mississippi, Arkansas and Texas, and is well-known all 
over the Americas, if not over the civilized globe. The 
area covered by the long-leaf pine in this State is 
enormous. 

The short-leaf pine forests abound in the region of 
oak uplands, and furnish, a large number of square miles 
of available timber. 

Ash, oaks, magnolia, beech, walnut, gums, cotton- 
wood, maples, etc., are found in large quantities upon 
the bluff lands and inland streams of the State, and 
nowhere on earth is there presented finer opportunities 
for all manufactories of wood than here in Louisiana. 
Factories for wagons and carriages, hollowware, barrels, 
staves, hoops, ax and hoe handles, etc., could all be 



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carried on her<> successfully with the materials gathered 
cheaply from our forests. Our Cottonwood and tulip 
(poplar) trees could be converted into boxes and paper, 
right on the banks of our streams, with cheap, deep 
water transportation to almost everywhere. Next to the 
wealth of our existing soils, comes the wealth already 
drawn from these soils in the shape of forest growth. 

The long-leaf pine is found more or less over the 
hill country of the State, yet it may be said to have two 
important centers, the eastern and western. The former 
embraces the parishes of north St. Tammany, Washing- 
ton, north Tangipahoa, most of St. Helena and East 
Feliciana. There is a considerable area of pine flats in 
north St. Tammany, south and west Tangipahoa and 
east Livingston parishes, and a narrow rim in southeast 
St. Helena parish, and in Calcasieu. The western center 
of the pine is situated in northwest Catahoula, west Cald- 
well, southeast Jackson, all of Winn, nearly all of Grant, 
except the narrow rim in the Red River Valley in the 
southwest portion of the parish, northwest and all west 
Rapides, a small area in northeast St. Landry, all north 
Calcasieu, south and west Natchitoches, and southwest 
Sabine. Alexandria is near the geographical center of 
the State, and within a radius of seventy-five miles of 
this important railroad center is situated the bulk of 
t! e great pine area of the State. 

The bulk of red cypress is situated south of the 
Red River and west of the Mississippi to the Sabine. 
The white cypress is a more generally diffused wood, 
and is even found as far north as Delaware. In Louis- 



iana it Is to be found in all localities adapted to Its 
growth. The sweet gum has no particular locality. It 
is a considerable feature in most forests; is rather plen- 
tiful in the Mississippi bottom and the river parishes. 

The tupelo gum is abundant in many wet bottoms 
of the State. The holly is everywhere as a scattering 
tree; the magnolia is found in great quantity on all the 
bluff lands of the State. Both these woods have a great 
future value. The ash, hickory and various oaks are 
common to the State. The live oak is found on the 
southern, or Gulf coast, on the Chenieres and buck 
ridges and bayous along the banks of the streams in 
many, if not all, the alluvial regions of the State. 

No mention has been made of the ash, which is 
scattered throughout many of the upper parishes of the 
State, also the maple, and in a few localities the black 
walnut. The pecan is quite common in small bodies 
throughout the State, and is commonly preserved for the 
Kreatly increasing value of the "thin-shelled Louisiana 
pecan nut." Great numbers are being planted, and the 
young trees grafted with the most perfect samples form 
a profitable industry. Poplar and Cottonwood are also 
quite generally distributed in the upper parishes near 
the river, the hackberry, dogwood and sycamore like- 
wise. In localities the sassafras grows so abundantly 
as to deserve mention. 

As to facilities for transporting and marketing the 
lumber, the primitive methods of river rafting are being 
rapidly supplanted by the railroads, and every modern 
appliance. There is very little timber in the State now 



98 



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that is not accessible to some means of transportation. 
With 5,000 miles of railroads, 322 miles of logging tram 
roads and nearly 4,000 miles of navigable streams, the 
transportation question is not a difficult one. 

Thus, in extent, in variety, in favor, as to locations 
and facilities of transportation, the lumber interests of 
Louisiana merit the attention of the wealthy capitalist, 
the competent, energetic manufacturer, and, above all 
the man of family who seeks to make a home where 



opportunity to "grow up with the country" makes a 
small investment in the present sure capital for the 
future. 

There are hundreds of sawmills of large cut located 
on the several lines of railways and water courses, and 
enormous shipments are annually made to the North, 
East and West, and even to foreign countries, of both 
cypress and pine, unequaled in finish anywhere. 



FISH. 



APROPOS of lakes, rivers and streams may be men- 
tioned the varied and abundant fish supply found 
in them all over the State, affording unending 
sport to the lovers of the piscatorial art. Every 
stream and lake has its own peculiar fish, fancied by 
the dweller on its banks to be unexcelled in gastronomic 
qualities. Besides the inland streams, Lakes Pontchar- 
train, Maurepas and others along the Gulf Coast, furnish 
an abundance of fish, and are often resorted to by 
amateur sportsmen from New Orleans. But, beyond 
these, on the Gulf Coast, lies a mine of wealth but par- 
tially developed. The fish and oyster industry, which, 
if prosecuted to the same extent as is done on the north 
Atlantic coast, or on the Chesapeake Bay, would render 
Louisiana more famous in this line than she is now for 
her profusely fertile soils. The red fish, the pompano, 



Spanish mackerel, the mullet, the trout, the red snapper 
and the perch, and many other fish of large size and 
excellent quality are to be found all along the Gulf 
Coast from the Pearl to the Sabine River. So, too, with 
oysters, that delicious bivalve, which here rivals in flavor 
the far-famed Cherrystone and Horn Harbor products of 
the Chesapeake Bay. If the cultivation of oysters was 
practiced upon our bays, inlets and bayous to the same 
extent and with the same intelligence as is followed upon 
the Chesapeake Bay, New Orleans would soon become a 
center of oyster packing houses, and share with Balti- 
more in the enormous profits now incident to such in- 
dustry. The West should be supplied exclusively with 
Gulf oysters, and nowhere can they be more cheaply or 
profitably grown than alonr the Gulf Coast bordering 
Louisiana. 



100 




Oyster-Canning Factory. 




A FINE CATCH NEAR NEW ORLEANS. 
150 pounds of Spanish mackerel in two hours. 



101 



OYSTERS 



THE great resources of Louisiana in its large pro- 
duction of sugar-cane, cotton, rice, lumber and 
fruits have hitherto kept in comparative ob- 
scurity what are generally deemesl the minor — 
and wrongly considered the less remunerative — fields 
for the employment of capital and intelligent labor. 
Prominent, if not the principal, among these neglected 
industries are the vast fishery interests of the State, 
which, under energetic labor and scientific cultivation, 
will in a few years equal, if they do not surpass in the 
way of pecuniary profit, the aggregate value of the en- 
tire State. The extent of the oyster territory is so vasi, 
th« supply so abundant and cheap, and so little labor 
and capital are required for its development, that its 
wonderful advantage's and enormous profits once known, 
capital And labor will inevitably seek employment in 
what must eventually become a leading industry, far 
surpassing that of any State in the Union. 

On the eastern boundary, starting from the Rigolets, 
the small gut or strait connecting Lakes Borgne and 
Pontchartrain. and following the shore line southward 
and westward, around the mouths of the Mississippi 
River to the Texas line, there is a coast of about 600 
miles in length, if measured on straight lines from point 
te point. Making an allowance for the curvatures of 
the coast, the shores of salt water bays, inlets, lakes 
and islands, which fret this part of the State like net 



work, the littoral line will not fall short of fifteen hun- 
dred or two thousand miles. Taking into consideration 
the shelving, shallow beach adjacent to it, experts well 
acquainted with its geographical features estimate that 
the area suitable to planting and growing oysters is 
over 7,000 square miles or greater than the amount of. 
acreage available in all the other States of the Union 
combined. The coast abounds in suitable places "o 
which the mollusk can be transplanted from the seed 
bed, and under proper care developed into an oyster, 
which, for delicacy of its flavor, cannot be excelled 
the world over. East of the Mississippi River these 
natural beds are still numerous, and transplanting is 
carried on at an increasing rate yearly. Not only do 
these beds supply the wants of the people of the Lower 
Coast, but quantities are shipped to New Orleans and 
Western markets. 

The flavor of these bivalves here taken, although 
of excellent quality compared with those of the Atlantic 
States, yet is by no means equal to those taken from 
the choice planting grounds across the Mississippi, ffoing 
west from the great river. Bayou Cook, Grand Bayou, 
Bayou Lachute, Grand Lake, Bayou Lafourche, Timbal- 
lier Bay, Last Island, Barrataria Bay, Vine Island Lake, 
Vermilion Bay and thj Calcasieu grounds furnish the 
best, those of Bayou Cook having par excellence the 
highest reputation in the markets of Louisiana and 



192 



. • -: ".-- — 




HARVESTING OATS— INGLESIDE PLANTATION, OUACHITA PARISH. 

103 



the neighboring States, and bringing a correspondingly 
higher price. 

The difficulties, dangers and delays of transportation 
are now overcome by railways and canals, some already 
built and others projected, penetrating the best oyster 
regions; and capital is encouraged and protected in its 
investment, by recent State legislation, and the day is 
not far distant when the production will be immeasur- 
ably increased, the price for home consumption greatly 
reduced, and an export trade established which will 
supply the whole of the western territory of the United 
States, from the Mississippi to the Pacific Coast, at 



reduced prices. Not only to the capitalist is the field 
open, but to the skilled oyster culturist of Chesapeake 
and Delaware Bays, Long Island Sound, and the shores 
of Connecticut, the State offers cheap oyster lands for 
sale or to rent, and a free supply of seed. To all such, 
with a minimum of capital and skilled industry and 
energy, she opens her arms to welcome them to a home 
on the verge of her "summer sea," beneath skies where 
is hardly known what winter is, and to cheer them on 
to fortune and her own industrial development. This is 
no fair-seeming false promise, but one tendered in ;.U 
sincerity, and based on facts which the writer has been 
careful to understate rather than overestimate. 



STOCK RAISING AND DAIRYING. 



NO PORTION of the globe is better adapted to 
stock raising than the State of Louisiana. Our 
soils unaided will supply native grasses suffi- 
cient to maintain cattle and horses through at 
least nine months in the year. The great variety of 
grasses, clovers and forage crops which can be grown so 
successfully upon all of our soils; our short winters, 
requiring shelter and extra feed for only a few months 
in the year; our numerous water courses, with the>r 
in li nite number of tributaries, furnishing an abundant 
supply of water at all seasons, all conspire to make 
Louisiana a most desirable location for stock raising. 
The question may be asked: If these natural advantages 
exist, why is it that more have not engaged in this 



industry? The ready reply is found in the fact that 
heretofore our entire agricultural world has been ab- 
sorbed in the growing of our leading staples, sugar-cane, 
rice and cotton. Another potent reason may be found 
in the absence of packing factories, where a ready mar- 
ket for cattle, sheep and hogs might be found the year 
round. Both of these reasons are now gradually melting 
away. Sugar-cane and cotton no longer afford the hand- 
some profits of th<? past to the planter, and the latter, 
particularly the cotton planter, is now diversifying his 
crops, and paying more attention to the raising of stock. 
A large majority of the horses of the State have been 
raised at home. Mules have been raised in sufficient 
quantities to demonstrate that, with proper care and at- 



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tention, the finest and largest can be grown here, but only 
In a few instances has mule raising been pursued as a 
profession or special oecupatior But many farmers are 
now raising both mules and horses for home demand, 
and some to sell. This home raised stock shows greater 
superiority for work than those raised elsewhere. The 
same natural conditions and advantages apply as to 
cattle. 

In addition to ample pasturage ana luxurious forage 
for cattle raising, fattening cattle for market has supe- 
rior advantages in Louisiana, as Is shown in many 
.--rticles further on. 

Cotton seed meal and hulls from the many cotton 
seed oil mills, th« rice bran, polish and shorts from our 
rice mills, and cheap molasses from our sugar factories, 
/rovide' superior economic feeding rations for cattle 
feeders. Annually thousands of head of c: ttle from this 
and other States are fattened at our mills, and shipped 
to the Xorthern and Western markets. Improved breeds 
of the dairy type, Jersey and Guernsey, and the beef 
type, Herefords, Durhams, Polled Angus and Devons, a-e 
being rapidly adopted, and the State is making great 
strides now in this direction. 

Hoots, likewise, are easily raised, and rreat interest 
is now being manifested in that line of farming. T119 



"razor back" is fast disappearing, and in his place 
comes the Poland China, the Berkshire, Red Jersey and 
Essex. There are now several breeders in the State 
with herds as good as any. 

Hog raisins, by the adoption of a proper rotation of 
crops, making the hog gather each crop, can be made 
exceptionally profitable, provided one can find a ready 
home market when they are fit for the shambles. With 
packing houses convenient, hog raising will soon be- 
come a leading industry of this State, and a most profit- 
able one. By planting an acre or two in February or 
early March, of a variety of early ripening sugar corn, 
in rows three feet apart and six to twelve inches in 
iriil, it will be ready for the hogs in Ma.y. Succeed 
this with a similar patch of early sorghum, which will 
oe ripe in June. Follow with Spanish peanuts, ripe in 
Inly, or early cowpeas, ripe at same time. Add to these 
Chufas and artichokes a late corn field with cowpeas, 
and a good let of sweet potatoes, and you have the 
material to grow and fatten many hogs. These lots 
should be arranged so that the hogs could gather thsm 
all, and simultaneously have access to a field of grass or 
clover, with an abundance of fresh, pure water. This 
is possible on nearly every farm. By adopting such 
a plan as the above, some of our best farmers have raised 
hogs for half a cent a pound. 



JOS 




A CARLOAD OF POLLED ANGUS CATTLE, FATTENED AT STATE EXPERIMENT STATION AT BATON 
ROUGE, AND WHICH TOPPED THE CHICAGO MARKET ON JAN. 8, 1S04. 



EXPERIMENTS WITH BEEF CATTLE. 



THE carload of grade Angus steers that were 
shipped from the Experiment Station at Baton 
Rouge, and topped the market early in January, 
1904, at Chicago, demonstrated beyond a doubt 
the possibilities 01 beef production of the highest order 
in Louisiana from feeding the by-products of our sugar- 
houses, rice mills and cotton seed oil mills, provided 
the right kind of animals are utilized for consuming 
these products. They further demonstrated that the 
immunization fever does not permanently impair the 
development of a steer into a first-class beef type. There 
has been such universal interest in the results of these 
experiments that a brief statement regarding the history 
of the steers and the manner of feeding will be of value 
to all who contemplate investigating the possibilities 
of beef production in Louisiana, or adjacent States. Dr. 
W. C. Stubbs, Director of the Experiment Stations, 
planned the experiment and committed the execution of 
the plan to W. R. Dodson, Assistant Director of the sta- 
tion at Baton Rouge. The cattle were purchased at 
Clinton, 111., through Jacob Ziegler and W. H. Wheeler, 
who were very much interested in the enterprise. The 
calves secured were from four to eight months old, and 
arrived in Baton Rouge In good condition. In November, 
1901, a few days after arrival, they were each inocu- 
lated with a small quantity of defibrinated blood from a 
native animal, which produced a mild form of immuniza- 



tion or Texas fever. Until they recovered from this 
artificially produced fever they were kept free of ticks. 
They were fed on rice bran, cotton seed meal and sugar- 
house molasses, with Bermuda and Lespedeza hay, which 
had been grown on the Station. As soon as the grass 
began to grow in the spring of 1902 they were placed 
on pasture, but a partial ration or concentrated feed 
continued. The amount varied somewhat according to 
the condition of the pasture. Each steer was weighed 
at frequent intervals and a record kept of these weights. 
The gain was very satisfactory until the ticks began to 
be very numerous and the animals very heavily infested. 
As the season was unusually dry and the pasture crowded 
(fifty-five head of stock were pastured on less than 
twenty acres) the cattle became grossly infested with 
ticks. Consequently a very severe test was made of the 
efficiency of the immunization. All the steers developed 
more or less fever and during the month of August a 
number of them lost in weight. However, they began 
to recover soon after the application of an insecticide 
to kill the ticks on them. The middle of November the 
cattle were placed in a lot where there were very few 
ticks, and every animal sprayed to destroy the ticks ad- 
hering to him, and each animal was fed in a stall a full 
ration twice daily. For ninety days the gain was a 
little over two pounds per day. However, they were 
not as fat as desired, a considerable portion of the gain 



108 




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having been utilized in growth. The feed was reduced 
to maintenance ration till the pasture was again good, 
and they were put on pasture the same as the previous 
season, for the purpose of making observations of the 
effects of a second summer. It was discovered late in 
the first season that the ticks that had developed several 
successive generations on these partially susceptible ani- 
mals had developed a great degree of virulence, and 
when they infested a native born animal produced a 
degree of fever almost equal to that developed in these 
recently immunized steers. These steers, therefore, suf- 
fered more from the ticks than they would have had 
they been associated with a large number of native ani- 
mals, or had it been possible to have changed the 
pasture once or twice during the season. During the 
second season they were not allowed to be continuously 
infested with as many ticks as had been on them the 
previous season, and the results were much more satis- 
factory. Early in the fall they were put on full feed, 
and made a gain of a very small fraction under two 
pounds per day. It ivas our purpose to market them 
during the early winter, but the market was not favor- 
able and they were held till the first of January. They 
were sold in Chicago for $5.65 per hundred. A few days 
later, a good native, fairly fat, was sold in Baton Rouge 
from the station for $2.75, the highest price offered. 
Since It cost as much to put a pound of flesh on the 
native as It did on the high-grade Angus, it does not 
take a mathematician to figure that there was consider- 
able difference in the profits from the feeding. 



The following, by Hon. P. L. Maxwell, of Mound, 
Louisiana, formerly of Indiana, will further emphasize 
the preceding facts: "I have fed a few head of cattle 
nearly every year for the past ten years. I have used 
corn meal, cotton seed, pea hay, turnips, pumpkins, cab- 
bage leaves and sweet potatoes, all with success. All 
of the above can be raised very cheaply on our Southern 
farms and all can be used in feeding cattle, hogs and 
sheep with success. In connection with the above, I 
would recommend to farmers who have facilities for 
shipping at cheap rates, to sell their cotton seed, and 
buy hulls and cotton seed meal instead. 

"I made the following test on cotton seed hulls and 
meal alone: I purchased twenty-six tons of cotton seed 
hulls and five tons of cotton seed meal, the former at a 
cost of $3.90, and the latter at $22 per ton delivered. 
The above was all fed to twenty-three head of steers in 
forty-three days; the gain per head, per day, was three 
and one-half pounds. I was offered two cents per 
pound gross for the cattle the day they were put in the 
lot; at the end of forty-three days I shipped them to 
market and sold them at four cents per pound gross. 
I know of other gentlemen that have had more experi- 
ence in feeding than myself, and they have not only 
made plenty of money, but, on land that they could not 
raise more than fifteen to twenty bushels of corn, they 
are now raising eighty bushels of first-class corn, and 
good crops of peas on the same land. 

"The farmers of Louisiana ought to raise their own 
horses, mules, cattle, sheep and hogs, and can do so with 
greater profit than in the Northwest. They have ad- 



110 






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Steamboat Making a Landing. 




FIRST PRIZE JERSEY BULL .rvND COW. 
J. W. Jones of Natchitoches. 



Xll 



vantages in climate and soil, and can raise so many 
things in abundance, and so cheaply that our Northern 
brothers cannot raise. I would recommend Louisiana 
farmers to try a few head of good steers or cows, and 
prepare plenty of food crops, and then feed hulls and 
cotton seed meal with it; they will be surprised to see 
how quickly they can fatten the cattle, and what profit 
there is in it, besides t>.e rich fertilizers they make 
clear, if they will only save it. After experimenting 
with these things, I am thoroughly convinced there is 
money it in. I am preparing large pastures, and am now 
buying all the cattle I can, with a view of feeding on 
a larger scale. I know of a gentleman in Illinois wno 



has just invested in a large tract of land in the Tensas 
River swamp, is fencing it, and will put 600 head of 
cattle in it at once. 

"In regard to feeding horses and mules while at 
hard work, I have had splendid success with cut oats, 
ground corn and peas mixed, two parts of corn to one 
of peas. I would advise all farmers to raise plenty of 
oats and feed less corn. I cut my oats with a large 
ensilage cutter, and use a three-horse tread power. In 
regard to raising mules, I think I can safely say it is a 
success. I have them from sucking colts to five years 
old, and am pleased with the experiment. I have nine- 
teen colts this year." 



DAIRYING IN LOUISIANA. 



THE production of milk and its products is still 
in its infancy in Louisiana, although this State 
o.Ters the dairyman many advantages over other 
States. 
Nature affords a splendid climate, native pastures, 
and an abundance of pure water and plenty of cool 
shade. Besides these, the Southern dairyman has the 
advantage over his Northern competitor in that our 
short winters require shelter and extra feed for only a 
few months in the year. Moreover, the feed for the 
winter, such as hay, turnips, etc., can be raised in winter 
months. Oats ^nd vetch sowed in September and October 
furnishes satisfactory feed for January and February- 
Cotton seed meal and hulls from the many cotton seed 



oil mills, the rice bran from our rice mills, and the 
molasses from the sugar factories, provide superior 
economic feed for the cattle. 

The branch of the dairy business yielding the quickest 
and most immediate profit is doubtless the supply of 
sweet milk to nearby towns. New Orleans, with a 
population of 350,000, should consume about 55,000 gal- 
lons per day in comparison with other cities of its size. 
The fact is, however, that New Orleans consumes only 
about 1,000 gallons of fresh milk daily, or 43,000 gal- 
lons less than would be the case if the business were 
properly developed. The reason for this apparent de- 
ficiency is that the people have resorted to the use of 
condensed milk as a substitute, and New Orleans is still 



112 




H B— 8 



HOME-RAISED HORSES AND HULKS — BOSSIER PARISH. 

113 



reputed to be the greatest consumer of condensed milk of 
any city in the country. 

Only within the last few years the attention of 
the people of New Orleans has been pointedly drawn 
to the 'matter of its milk supply. Heretofore, nearly 
all the milk used in this city was produced in dairies 
within the city limits. It is now recognized by all au- 
thorities and scientists that milk should not be produced 
in thickly populated centers, but in the open country, 
and the dairies within the city limits were closed by 
law and compelled to move outside of certain prescribed 
and safe lines. As a result the supply of milk was still 
further reduced, though the quality and cleanliness, 
thanks to the strict supervision of the Board of Health. 
has been improved. Large dairies have also been estab- 
lished at some distance from the city, in localities that 
can be reached in one or two hours by rail. Hammond, 
which is fifty-two miles from New Orleans, furnished 
a large part of the milk consumed in this city, and a 
number of farmers at Roseland also ship fresh milk 
daily to New Orleans. In this city a company with a 
perfect and sanitary plant and proper facilities for 
pasteurizing milk is buying and disposing of all the 
milk it can secure, and will help much to develop the 
dairy industry of the country adjacent to New Orleans. 
The net price paid to the producer is 20 cents a gallon 
in summer and 22 cents in winter, or 4 1-2 cents per 
degree of butter fat. This company and other respon- 
sible parties will make a contract for all the high-grade 
milk the farmers can produce, and every farmer who 



delivers his milk at the railway station can collect his 
payments weekly. 

It will thus be seen that New Orleans is in need 
of thousands of gallons of milk and its need will increase 
with each year. In the production of butter, cheese, and 
other milk products, too, a rational management can 
introduce many improvements and no better opportu- 
nity can offer itself to those seeking to establish the 
dairy industry in this vicinity. The selection of the 
proper dairy cow, improved dairy machinery and appli- 
ances, and the necessary knowledge to operate the 
dairy become the only considerations. Otherwise the 
conditions for success in dairying in this vicinity are 
the most favorable. Cheap land suitable for this pur- 
pose in great abundance and conveniently located near 
the city, on either side of the fourteen railroads entering 
the city, and which deliver the milk here in one or 
two hours; a strong demand which assures to the pro- 
ducer a firm price and ready sale of all the milk he 
has to offer; and, lastly, climate and agricultural con- 
ditions which furnish the dairyman advantages such 
as he will not find in regions further North. Under 
these circumstances the dairy business in Louisiana 
properly handled offers rare opportunities to any one 
with the necessary experience and small capital required, 
and there is not the least doubt that the time will corns 
when it will be one of the most important industries of 
the State. 

The butter and cheese industry comes under the 
heading of the dairying industry. 



114 




A GROUP "'•' NATIVE CATTLE IN NORTH LOUISIANA 



'•Possum fat and taters." 



115 



Yearly New Orleans alone receives 19,312,000 pounds 
of butter and cheese from the East and West. Besides 
this New Orleans consumes a small portion of butter 



and cheese made out of milk produced in Louisiana. 
From all standpoints, it will be noted how badly the 
milk industry needs to be cultivated in Louisiana. 



PEANUT CULTURE IN LOUISIANA. 



WHO does not know the peanut, that delight of 
of children and many grown people? A 
visit to the circus with the little ones is 
hardly conceivable without a bag of "fresh 
roaster], well toasted" peanuts to munch during the per- 
formance. But how many know that peanuts are used 
for many other purposes besides eating them in a roasted 
condition and that, indeed, they form a very important 
article of commerce':' Many a one may have discovered 
to his chagrin that the" confectioner, instead of using 
almonds had stuffed the cake with peanuts, but few 
even dream that the "genuine, imported olive oil" on 
their table is nothing but peanut oil, and yet in most 
cases it is either that or cotton seed oil. 

Uses of the Peanut. 

Three-fourths of the American crop are sold to 
vendors of the roasted peanut. They use only the best 
grades. The inferior grades are sold to confectioners 
to be used in the marketing of 'burnt almonds," peanut 
candy and cheaper grades of chocolate. The extent of 
the use of the peanuts by the American people will be 
appreciated when it is remembered that they use 4,000,- 
000 bushels of nuts annually, at a cost to them of $10,- 



000,000. The farmer uses the nut to fatten his hogs. 
He also makes use of the vine to feed to all kinds of 
live- stock and it furnishes the best and cheapest hay to 
be found in the peanut section, comparing favorably 
with the most highly esteemed forage plants. These are 
the uses to which tlje peanut crop is commonly put in 
this country, but it is not improbable that in the course 
of time the peanut may subserve other valuable ends 
here. 

Millions of bushels are being used in the countries 
of the old world for the production of oil, in which 
the nuts are very rich. This oil is regarded as equal 
to olive oil and may be employed for every purpose to 
which this is applied. It forms from 30 to 50 per cent 
(by weight) of the shelled nut. It has an ageeable taste 
and smell and is more limpid than olive oil, which it 
very much resembles. Peanut oil is also used as a light- 
ing fluid, in the manufacture of soap, and as a lubri- 
cant in machine shops. After all the oil which can be 
expressed has been secured, there still remains con- 
siderable fatty matter in the cake, which, together with 
its other contents, makes a most valuable animal food. 
It is readily eaten by most horses. As a food for dairy 
cows it is admirable, both increasing the yield of milk 



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and improving its quality. For sheep and pigs, there is 
no better food and of superior quality. 

In the United States, Virginia, North Carolina and 
Tennessee produce a large part of the peanut crop. \s 
a rule, the nuts grown in temperate latitudes are not 
as rich in oil as those of the same varieties grown in 
tropical countries. The proposition has been laid down 
that the oil content of the nut is in inverse proposition 
to the distance from the equator. The American nuts, 
containing the least oil, are, therefore, better for use 
as human food. 

Several varieties are raised in the United States. The 
Virginia running variety is most widely known and most 
popular with the trade. The pods are large and white, 
weighing about 22 pounds to the bushel. There are two 
varieties in Tennessee, the white and the red. The red 
matures earlier and seems to be better suited to Louisiana 
conditions than the white varieties. The North Caro- 
lina or African variety has much smaller pods, weighing 2S 
pounds to the bushel, and the kernels containing more 
oil than those of other varieties. The Spanish variety 
Is a smaller plant much closer together than any if 
the others, thus producing a very heavy crop to the 
acre. It is this variety which has proven most desirable 
in north Louisiana. It is easily harvested, all the pods 
adhering to the vine, and requires a much shorter pe- 
riod to mature. The Spanish nut is generally preferred 
for forage and is in demand as "confectioner's stock," be- 
ing worth several cents per pound more than any other 
shelled stock. 



Louisiana's Ideal Soil and Climate. 

Especially in Louisiana, of all the States, the plant- 
ing of peanuts ought to prove a paying investment. The 
plant needs an early warm spring, followed by a hot 
and moist summer, with but little rain in the harvesting 
season to injure the mature crop. It thrives on any 
friable, well-drained soil that contains a sufficient quan- 
tity of lime and humus. A sandy soil which does not 
stain the shell is the ideal one for the peanut. The plant 
requires lime for the development of the nuts and 
where the soil does not contain lime in sufficient quan- 
tities, the deficiency must be supplied by the use of 
burnt oyster shells, burnt limestones, or marl. Soils 
containing a large amount of stable manure or decom- 
posing vegetable matter are liable to produce excessive 
vines and a small yield of peanuts. The plant is rich 
in nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash and for that 
reason is an excellent fertilizer. It draws a large part 
of its nitrogen from the air, but the other elements are 
drawn from the soil, and if the entire plant is remove! 
from the soil the crop becomes an exhausting one and 
the fertility of the soil must be restored by the use of 
manures and rotation of crops. 

The climate and soil of Louisiana are ideal for the 
successful culture of peanuts. There is an abundance of 
good peanut land in this State not yet used for the 
crop. For years our farmers have known its value as 
feed and have raised their own supply. Only lately a 
more general interest has been manifested in the crop, 
due in part to the boll weevil problem and the question 



US 




Abita Springs Hotel. 




T. F. PORTER'S FIRST PRIZE SADDLER, AT NATCHITOCHES FAIR. 



119 



as to what crop may best be substituted for cotton. 
The Board of Agriculture constantly receives inquiries 
as to the best manner of cultivating peanuts and Dr. 
W. R. Dodson, Director of the Agricultural Experiment 
Stations, has prepared a statement explaining the most 
important points. It may be had by addressing him at 
Baton Rouge, or the Board of Agriculture and Immigra- 
tion. 

In Louisiana a good crop of peanuts should yield 
from 65 to 100 bushels per acre in any portion of the 
State. The price per bushel of 22 pounds varies from 
50 to 85 cents. The average price for ten years at 
Norfolk, Va., is said to be 65 cents per bushel. The 
Louisiana Experiment Stations have produced a little 
over 100 bushels per acre on a good crop. It has been 
shown that hogs pasturing on a peanut field made much 
cheaper gains than on cowpeas, sweet potatoes, or sorg- 
hum. Prime peanut oil is said to be worth about 65 
cents per gallon. The lower grades can be used for soap 
stock, and even the residue after the oil is extracted is a 
valuable stock food and should bring from $20 to $25 
per ton when the meat and hulls are mixed, or from 
$25 to $30 per ton when the hulls are separated before 
the oil is extracted. 

Our many cotton seed oil mills, some of which are 
now lying idle for want of seed to grind, can easily be 
changed into peanut oil mills. Much of the machinery 
is identical in both, and at comparatively small cost any 
cotton seed oil mill can be transformed into a peanut 
oil mill. 



The machinery used in European peanut oil mills is 
thus described by the American Consul at Havre, France, 
in response to inquiries from the Louisiana State Board 
of Agriculture and Immigration: 

"The usual method employed in the extraction of oil 
from archides is the following: the nuts are first placed 
on a cleaning and sorting machine which removes most 
of the foreign substances and impurities adhering there- 
to. They are then unshelled by a decorticating machine, 
the seeds falling into the hopper of a cast iron cylin- 
drical machine, which crushes them roughly and elimi- 
nates at the same time such foreign substances as they 
may still contain. From this machine the paste is trans- 
ferred into another crusher, which reduces it into fine 
flour: retaining the rough flour for further crushing. The 
flour is afterward placed into a number of hair cloth 
receptacles, and pressed. The pressing lasts about an 
hour, which is considered sufficient time for the extrac- 
tion of all the oil obtainable from a first pressing. The 
hair cloth receptacles are then emptied, and the remain- 
ing paste is crushed again, heated at a temperature of 
about 70 degrees centigrade (158 degrees Fahrenheit) and 
pressed in the above described manner. The second 
crushing is dispensed with whenever it is intended to 
obtain oil of fine quality. Another press which, in recent 
years, has been adopted to an increasing extent, con- 
tains a filter, and does away with hair cloth receptacles. 
The first-mentioned press is called "La Marseilles." 

"Solvents, especially sulphide of carbon (CS2) are 
used to extract oil from cakes. There are a number of 
patent machines used in these various sysUms." 



120 



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HBfcfr. 


IBHE^HHHfcaMi- '<., . 



The Paul Tulane, Loaded with Sugar. 




A GROUP OF LOUISIANA MULE COLTS. 



121 



A German manufacturing Arm near Hamburg fur- 
nishes the Board of Agriculture and Immigration the 
following estimate of the cost of a complete outfit of a 
peanut oil mill on the smallest scale: 

"The plant is composed as follows.: one roller ma- 
chine, one warming pan, one hydraulic press with a 
spindle compress apparatus, one removable strainer, one 
hydraulic pump with two pistons, a general starter, and 
the scaffolding for the reception of all the above ma- 
chines. The price of the above plant is 5000 marks 
(M. 4.20 or $1.00) net, f. o. b. Hamburg, exclusive of 
packing, for which 2 per cent, will be charged. A second 
strainer which is emptied and filled again while the flrot 
is under compression, thus enabling the mill to run 
almost without interruption, would cost M. 550. As 
preparatory machines the following would have to be 
taken into consideration: one peanut breaker at 600 
Mark, one separator for nuts and shells with a sifting 
apparatus, together at 750 Mark, total 1350 Mark. It is 
assumed that the peanuts have already passed through 
a sifting shaker for primary cleaning, otherwise an- 
other machine similar to the above would be required 
to remove all foreign substances like stones, dirt or 
particles of iron, at a cost of 700 Mark." 

As already stated, our cotton seed oil mills are al- 
ready provided with most of the machinery enumerated 
above. For preliminary cleaning the sifting shaker can 
be used, with only a change of perforated metal or 
wire mesh. Also the crusher rolls, heaters, and pressers 



can be used with camel's-hair cloth, likewise the scien- 
tific cake-breaker and grinding mill can be utilized. 
The only machines which would have to be purchased 
would be the huller and the separator. The screening 
and cleaning apparatus would do the work for peanuts 
with slight changes. The complete cost of these changes 
and additions should not exceed one thousand dollars. 
A Shreveport oil mill has already experimented with 
peanuts during the past season, and with satisfactory 
results, it is said. The yield of oil being about 70 
gallons to the ton. 

Now, if our cotton oil mill men and the leaders of the 
Farmers' Union will come together to discuss ways and 
means of procuring the best seed adapted to this sec- 
tion, which might be distributed by the oil mills to the 
small farmers in their vicinity, the latter would be 
encouraged in engaging in peanut culture, being as- 
sured of a market for their crop, and once a sufficient 
quantity of nuts is assured to supply the mills, thy 
cotton oil mills will be quickly changed into peanut 
oil mills, or, rather, be prepared to grind both cotton 
seed and peanuts. 

However, the planter is by no means confined to the 
oil mills in disposing of his crop, as there is always 
a large demand for peanuts for roasting purposes and 
other commercial uses. In preparing the nuts for this 
market, the planting needs a picker and a cleaner. 
Special tools for the culture of peanuts, such as a plow, 



122 




Section of -Pear Orchard. 




\Y- S. GRE.NEAUX- POULTKY EXHIBIT AT NATCHITOCHES FAIR. 



123 



planter and cultivator, have been perfected and the 
names of firms handling these tools can be had from the 
Board of Agriculture. 

The information contained in the above article is 



largely based on U. S. Bulletin No. 25, Dr. Dodson's arti- 
cle above referred to, and communications from Ameri- 
can consuls in Europe to the Louisiana State Board 
of Agriculture and Immigration. 



SHEEP. 



THE long-leaf pine belts, the prairie section, and 
the dry hills of north Louisiana are specially 
well adapted to sheep-raising. Formerly great 
flocks were raised in these sections on the rancn 
system, without feed or shelter. But the occupation or 
many of these lands has broken up the flocks. More 
recently there is a growing interest in sheep raising on 
the farm. Small flocks, headed by thoroughbred buc'-s 
of the Merino, Southdown or Shropshire breeds, are. 
kept by many farmers. These provide good mutton for 



the farmer's table, and early lambs for the market, as 
well as fair wool clips. The sheep business promises to 
grow to large proportions by this plan very soon. It 
costs practically nothing to raise sheep in Louisiana, the 
climate, water, and grazing conditions are so favorable, 
and when fattening for market, the cost of feeding being 
so cheap, and native feeds being so abundant, the ex • 
pense is reduced to a minimum. It is recognized that 
no line of stock raising pays better for the amount cf 
capital invested. A flock pays for itself every year. 



POULTRY RAISING. 



WHILE it is usually regarded as a side issue Oil 
the farms, poultry raising is an important 
industry. Thousands of dollars worth of 
eggs and chickens, in the aggregate, fin! 
their way to all the local markets, and furnish many 
thrifty housewives with pocket money. There are many 
poultry breeders in the State, and f roughbred or high- 



bred poultry are found on nearly every farm. The 
most popular farm breeds are the Leghorns, Plymouth 
Rocks, Langshan, Rhode Island Reds, Indian Game, and 
Wyandotte, the Bronze Turkey, and the Pekin Duck. 
No better opportunity is anywhere offered than in Louis- 
iana for poultry raising. 



iZl 




Group of Herefords at the State Experiment 
Station, Baton Rouge, La. 




Fountain Produced by Natural Pressure from 
3-inch "Well at Reiser's Machine Shop, Lake 
Charles, La- 




Deep well tor Rice Irrigation at Gueydan, La. 




Artesian Wells at Lake Charles. 



MINES AND MINERALS. 



SALT was made by the "Natchitoches" Indians an 1 
used by them as an article of barter with the 
neighboring nations before the white man invadji 
Louisiana. What is now known as the Drake 
"Salt Works," about thirty miles from the present city 
of Natchitoches, is believed to be the place in which 
these Indians obtained their supply. These salt pits 
were worked for salt until the close of the Civil War, 
when the more economic methods of making salt else 
where caused all operations to cease. 

Rayburn's Salt Works, eight miles from Bienville, 
more distant from the earlier settlements, were not 
opened until 1S40. They became extremely popular dur- 
ing the Civil War and were worked very extensively. 
After the war work was discontinued, but evidences if 
former activities are everywhere visible. 

King's Salt Works, on Cotton Bayou, have a similar 
history to Rayburn's — a contemporaneous birth, develop- 
ment and death. 

Price's Salt Works, Bistineau Salt Works, on Lake 
Bistineau; Sabine works, on Sabine River, in Sabine 
Parish; salt wells on Catahoula Lake and saline springs 
near Negreet Bayou, have all been utilized in the past 
for the manufacture of salt. 

But the most important salt deposits of the State 
are to be found in the five islands on the coast. 

As early as 1791, salt was mad* from brine springs 



on Petite Anse (Avery's) Island. In 1S62 large deposits 
of very pure rock salt were discovered, and since that 
time this island has furnished hundreds of thousands of 
tons of salt. Over three hundred tons of salt are daily 
mined at the present time on thi's island, and the most 
improved machinery used for preparing it for market. 

In 1895 salt was discovered on Cote Carline (Jeffer- 
son's Island), the auger going 1,800 feet through pure 
salt. Though this wonderful development was made bv 
boring, no attempt has as yet been made to utilize it. 

In December, 1896, salt was discovered on Belle Isle. 

In the summer of 1897 salt was discovered on Grand 
Cote (Week's) Island. 

In thickness and purity these salt deposits outrank 
any yet known in this country, and rank third, if not 
second, in the great salt deposits of the world. 

Recently, in boring for oil near Anse la Butte, im- 
mense beds of pure salt have been penetrated, at depths 
of 200 feet or more from the surface. In fact, it may be 
positively stated that there is already in sight sa'.t 
enough in southwestern Louisiana to supply the markets 
of this country for an indefinite period. Add to the 
great extent of these salt deposits, the known purity of 
the salt and ease with which it can be mined, and the 
great value to the State can easily be estimated. Some 
day, after the numerous railroads now penetrating Lou- 
isiana from the north to the south shall have been com- 



12G 




Texas & Pacific Railros 
Bridge Over Atchaf- 
alaya River. 




A LOUISIANA PLANTATION HOME. 
127 



pleted and well equipped, the numerous salt outcrops of 
north Louisiana, already mentioned, will again be worked 
with profit. 

The richest mine of sulphur in the world occurs in 
southwest Louisiana, at Sulphur City, in Calcasieu Par- 
ish. It is now shipping oyer 500 tons of sulphur daily, 
and will, it is said, increase this output in the near 
future to 1,500 tons. 

From borings made by the company now working 
this mine, at least forty millions of tons of sulphur un- 
derlie their lands. A novel process for working this 
sulphur prevails. Superheated water is forced through a 
pipe into the sulphur. This water melts the sulphur, 
which, being heavier than water, falls to the bottom and 
is pumped up in a liquid condition through a smaller 
pipe, closed in the larger one, through which super- 
heated water was forced. The melted sulphur L draw.i 
into tanks, where it solidifies. After solidification it 
is broken up and shipped. No more attractive sight 
could be desired than to see several acres of solid sulphur, 
five to eight feet thick, adjoining the works of the 
Union Sulphur Company. The presence of this vast bed 
of sulphur justifies further exploitation in this section 
of the State for this valuable mineral, and hopes are 
strongly entertained that some of the many borings for 
oil in this section will reveal valuable beds of sulphur. 

Limestones and marbles outcrop at YVinnfiela, 
Coochie Brake, Bayou Chicot and other places in the 
State. All of these outerops can be easily used for the 
manufacture of lime, since analyses show them to be 



nearly pure carbonate of lime. Much of this limestone 
can be used for building purposes. 

Below the surface this limestone passes into blue 
and white banded marble, susceptible of an excellent 
polish. It is believed that when these beds are thor- 
oughly exploited, marble of excellent quality can be ob- 
tained. Samples are to be found in the Louisiana Exhibit 
in New Orleans. 

The existence of oil in southern Louisiana has been 
known for nearly forty years, but no special attention 
was given the subject by scientists, oil men and capi- 
talists until after the discovery of the famous Beaumont 
(Tex.) field in 1901. 

Promoters and "experts" claiming to be geologists, 
and worthless companies, have been instrumental in 
wasting l^rge sums of money in prospecting for oil in 
Louisiana and other Gulf-border States. But. though 
much has been lost in "wild-catting," there are, never- 
theless, regions of local extent in South Louisiana worthy 
of the serious attention of drillers and capitalists. 

To distinguish between the true and false prospects 
for oil, one must look into the geology of the area con- 
cerned. 

To one passing over the remarkably level plains of 
the southern part of the State, their geology seems re- 
markably simple — i. e., coastwise, sloping formation, of 
wide distribution and presumably of even vertical thick- 
ness. In fact, many ill-formed writers have expatiated 
on the perfect simplicity of structure in this coastal 
plain region. One's first impressions of perfect sim- 



1JS 



plicity are somewhat jarred at the appearance of the 
strangely elevated Five Islands, rising up boldly from 
the surrounding sea marshes, near Vermilion and Cote 
Blanche Bays. He finds, too, at Anse la Butte a mound 
of several acres in extent rising considerably above the 
level of the surrounding country, and in juxtaposition 
with a marsh similarly depressed below the same datum 
plain. At Mamou prairie similar conditions obtain. In 
St. Landry Parish a thick-bedded limestone juts out 
from the soil in the sombre pine woods, dipping at an 
angle of 35 degrees with the horizon and producing a 
ridge by its uplift. Again, well records show that the 
cap-rock of the Beaumont oil bearing stratum is curved 
abruptly upwards in a huge dome, though this is some 
1000 feet below the present surface of the land, and 
its presence a matter of mere speculation, except for 
the well records. The limestone is porous and cracked, 
similar indeed to that of St. Landry and Winn parishes, 
but no decided fault is proven, and to this fact is doubt- 
less due the accumulation of the large amount of oil 
found there. The well striking most rock at Anse la 
Butte brought out a core, proving that the bedding 
planes of the rocks in the well are now situated at 15 
degrees with the plane of the horizon. 

These statements .will, perhaps, suffice to indicate 
that in trying to work out the geology of southern Lou- 
isiana, two .classes of rocks must be kept sharply sepa- 
rated, viz., the one, older, greatly upturned and folded 
and faulted class, and the newer, unconsolidated clays 
and sands that submerge, as it were, or cover up the 
great irregularities of the older rocks below. 
H B— 9 12 



It is in connection, or in proximity with, these older 
rocks that the valuable substances, sulphur, salt, gas and 
oil occur in southern Louisiana. Naturally, they may 
not now be found in these older rocks, for by percolation, 
gas pressure, salt water pressure, solution, they may be 
removed to adjacent newer beds. When oil has so 
leached into porous strata and has been held from further 
motion by impervious layers of salt water, it may ac- 
cumulate in considerable quantities, and when pierced 
by the drill will produce an oil well. The porous layer, 
if of sand, is called generally "oil sand," whether it 
is of one material or another, whether coarse or fine. 
Care may well be taken not to suppose this expression 
has any other significance than any sand that is impreg- 
nated with oil. 

Geologically, we believe the oil obtained in Louis- 
iana is being taken from quaternary sands. It has been 
found oozing out at the surface at Sulphur and Anse 
Butte. It occurs in sand beds varying from 2S to 
feet below the surface, near Vinton. At this point gre it 
oil gushers are now startling the country with then- 
magnitude. It occurs in a fine sand in the Welsh field. 
In a fine and in a coarse sand in the Mamou area, and in 
various sands at Anse la Butte. 

The Welsh field is located in Calcasieu parish, about 
three miles west of Welsh. But little hard rock is en- 
countered in sinking the wells, sand, clay and gravel 
predominating, to a depth of about 1,000 feet, where the 
oil is found in a fine sand. 

The Jennings (Mamou) field is about six miles north- 
east of Jennings, In the Mamou prairie. The wells en- 



countered but comparatively insignificant beds of hard 
rock as a rule, and there is said to be generally no cap 
rock. They are from 1,700 to 1,875 feet deep and 
obtain their oil, sometimes pure, sometimes with a large 
percentage of salt water, from sands varying in coarse- 
ness. Of the wells now flowing or being pumped the 
product is from 50 to 1,200 barrels each daily. Oil is 
shipped by pipe-line to the Southern Pacific Railroad. 



The Jennings-Heywood four-inch line going to Jennings; 
the Southern's eight-inch to Mermentau, and the Crow- 
ley two- inch, to Crowley. 

Beneath the sulphur deposits already described occur 
immense beds of gypsum, which have never been worked. 
Elsewhere in the State gypsum is associated with lime- 
stone. Selenite crystals are abundant in the Jackson age, 
along the Ouachita River. 



RESOURCES AND POSSIBILITIES. 



The Hon. Joseph E. Ransdell, member of Con- 
gress from the Fifth District, in a speech to that body, 
gave so much valuable information concerning Louisiana 
that we quote with pleasure the following extracts and 
appendices that he annexed to his speech. 

The eyes of the world are tod y being turned toward 
Dixie, and in the next twenty-five years we are to witness 
a most marvelous development in that section. .Long 
retardi ed in ,i >w th bj the civil war and its 

i a m-iis industrial results, the South has arisen from 
Iter ashes a fairer and a mightier land. She has laid 
aside her sable garments and bedecked in a gown of 
In iu.it colors is lookin , confidently to the glorious future 
that awaits her, for she knows that a benign Providence 
has favon I hi r above other lands, and that by virtue of 
her natural advantages she will become the most pros- 
perous section of our great, common country. 

We have marvelous resources of every kind and sort 
which are just beginning to be developed, and in no por- 



tion of the world are there as good opportunities for suc- 
cess as in the land of Dixie. If Horace Greeley were alive 
today his advice to young men would be, "Go South!" 
When he said to them, "Go West," a great field opened 
there, and many fotrunes were made by following his 
sage counsels. The scene has shifted. The great oppor- 
tunities of the West have been seized, but there are 
innumerable openings in the South awaiting fertile brains 
and vigorous hands. 

If the new settler is accustomed to grain and cereals, 
with cattle and hogs, he need not change his crops or 
methods in the South, unless it be to substitute rice for 
wheat, should he settle in the lower half of the Gulf 
States, although wheat does well in northern portions. 
He need not become a cotton grower unless he wishes to, 
for corn and the cereals, with forage crops of many 
kinds, coupled with some branch or branches of animal 
industry — especially hogs — will furnish the most attract- 
ive and profitable employment. If he be a dairyman, 



130 



that line is open to him with marked advantages in 
many respects. If he be a gardener or fruit grower, the 
Gulf and lower Atlantic coast sections, with immunity 
from cold and delightful climate, can not be excelled. 
Indeed, he can choose his own branch of agriculture and 
find ideal conditions in the South. 

And we would welcome them gladly. We need a great 
many of them. Why, sir. the last federal census showed 
the density of the population in the State of Texas as 
something like 11.6 per square mile, in Louisiana 30.4, 
in Georgia 37.6, and in Arkansas 24.7 per square mUe, 
while of New York, your State, it was 152.6. in Xew 
Jersey 250.3, in Ohio 102, in Pennsylvania 140.1, and in 
Massachusetts 34S.9 per square mile. The South has 
not been peopled yet; it is a new land. The best oppor- 
tunities of the North and West have been seized and 
developed; but such is not true of the South, which 
still offers exceptional inducements in amy line of business 
that a good, industrious man wishes to pursue. 

.1 XIMAL INDUSTRY. 

With corn and forage crops naturally goes animal 
industry. There are no enemies to hogs, sheep, horses, 
and mules in the Southern States which do not exist 
everywhere, and all of these animals succeed well. Our 
winters are so mild that with a proper variety of crops 
grazing can be secured every day in the year, and animals 
require much less dry food and close attention than in 
the Xorth. Conditions with us are especially favorable 
to hogs, and I dobut if any State in the Republic has as 
many advantages for the lowly porker as my own 



Louisiana. Food crops of every kind grow in great pro- 
fusion throughout the year, so that no housing is neces- 
sary, and the health of the pigs is fine whenever properly 
cared for. The same is true of horses, mules, and sheep. 
Kentucky and Tennessee are justly famous for the best 
horses and mules on the continent, but I have seen as 
good animals raised in Louisiana as ever trod the ground. 
I am sometimes asked if we can make good butter in 
Louisiana. Yes; most emphatically. And why not? We 
have the most succulent grasses and clovers, and every 
variety of food necessary for good milk thrives with us. 
Dairying can be made a very profitable industry in many 
parts of the South, including Louisiana. 

CLIMATE. 

In point of climate the South compares favorably \\ ith 
any other section. Her summers are longer, but the 
extremes of heat are no greater than in more northern 
regions, and the change from cold to heat is so gradual 
that the system becomes accustomed to it. Sunstrokes of 
man or beast are very uncommon in the South. I was 
born and reared in Louisiana, where my life has been 
spent, and I remember only one slight case of sunstroke 
in human beings. The nights are usually pleasant and 
sleep refreshing in the hottest weather of July and 
August. 

While our summers are long, our winters are very 
short and mild, and the seasons of spring and fall are 
delightful. Great extremes of cold are never experienced, 
and when we get a cold snap it lasts only a few days. 
followed by a greater period of warm sunshine. Farming 



131 



operations, such as the preparation, seeding, and culti- 
vation of the soil are interrupted by freezes only for 
very brief periods in the lower tier of States, and are 
ticallj continuous throughout the year. Interruption 
of general business by cold is almost unknown. Prof. 
Willis L. Moore, Chief of the Weather Bureau, has fur- 
nished me some very interesting data on climatic condi- 
tions in Louisiana, as compared with the British North- 
Territories, and in the States of North Dakota and 
Iowa,' which I attach hereto as Appendix H. 

HEALTH. 

There are many false impressions about the health of 
th«- South, and misrepresentations on this subject are 
prevalent. Owing to the fact that our system of securing 
vital statistics is imperfect in rural districts, just as it is 
in most of the States, I can not make accurate compari- 
sons between different sections, but will produce enough 
to show any fair-minded man that the whites of the 
South are as healthy as any in the Union. We have in 
round numbers in the Southern States about 19,000,000 
whites and 9. 500,000 negroes. The latter race is not 
healthy for reasons which the scope of this speech pre- 
vents me from discussing. Statistics show a much heavier 
mortality among negroes than whites, hence I shall refer 
only to Caucasians in making my comparisons. 

The mortality statistics of the United States census 
for 1908 show tint in Boston, which I take as a typical 
northern city, the death rate from all causes was as 
follows: 



In the year 1906, IS. 9 per 1,000 souls; 1907, 19.2 per 
1,000 souls; 1908, 19.1 per 1,000 souls. 

While in New Orleans it was: 

In 1906, whites. IS. 1 per 1,000 souls; 1907, whites, 20.1 
per 1,000 souls; 190S, whites, 19 per 1,000 souls. 

So it appears that by comparing the whites of New 
Orleans with the entire population of Boston, where 
practically all are Caucasians, we find exactly the same 
average death rate in the two cities. And I wish to add 
that since the completion of a splendid system of sewers 
and waterworks, the health of New Orleans has improved 
materially, and in 1909 the death rate was only 15.52 per 
1,000, according to the city officials. 

These same census tables show: 

At Detroit, Mich., in 1906. 17 per 1,000; 1907. 16.5 per 
1.000; 190S, 15.6 per 1,000. 

At SavannaK Ga., in 1906, whites, 17.2 per 1,000; 1907, 
whites, 17.9 per 1,000; 1908, whites, 15.1 per 1.000, or a 
very slight advantage for Detroit, which is considered 
one of the health resorts of the Great Lakes. 

And again they show: 

New Haven, Conn., in 1906, 19.1 per 1,000; 1907. 18.6 
per 1,000: 1908, 16.9 per 1,000. 

Memphis. Tenn., in 1906, whites, 16 per 1.000; 1907, 
whites, 15. S per 1.000; 1908, whites, 15.6 per 1,000. 

Which is a decided advantage for the southern city. 
And finaly: 

Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1906, 20.8 per 1,000; 1907, 18.5 per 
1.000; 190S, 18.5 per 1.000. 

Mobile, Ala., in 1906, whites, 21 per 1,000; 1907, whites. 
19 per 1,000; 1908, whites, 17.3 per 1,000. 



132 



Or an advantage for the city on the Gulf. 

A very interesting table giving a comparison of 
general death, rates in American cities from 1871 to 1904, 
inclusive, was compiled by Mr. Frederick L. Hoffman 
an.l published by the American Statistical Association, 
March, 1906, pages 5-7, which I annex as Appendix J. 
it shows that for the twenty years 1SS5 to 1904, inclusive, 
the average mortality per 1,000 of population in northern 
and western cities was 19.75 per annum, and of whites in 
the southern cities it was 19.34, or a lower death rate 
in the cities of the South, 

Mr. Goulden. Will the gentleman permit an inter- 
ruption there? 

Mr. Ransdell of Louisiana. With pleasure. 

Mr. Goulden. As an insurance man for forty years, to 
my personal knowledge up to twenty-five years ago, all 
the leading life insurance companies of the country de- 
clined to write risks in the southern towns and cities, 
and then only when they were placed in a distinct class. 
For the last twenty years that has all been done away 
with, and today life insurance companies of the United 
States write as freely and upon the same conditions in 
Southern States as they do elsewhere. This is as it 
should be, and I congratulate my friends in the South 
on this happy condition of affairs. 

Mr. Ransdell of Louisiana. I thank the gentleman for 
the statement 

And in considering the death rate of the South for 
the past twenty years it must be remembered that two of 
the most fatal diseases of that section — yellow fever 
and malaria — were not understood until recently. The 



last yellow fever outbreak that was in scourge could 
readily be controlled and there is no longer any reason 
for alarm about it. Scientists have shown our people 
how to prevent malaria by screening their houses against 
mosquitoes, and also that common disease bearer, the 
house fly. No intelligent immigrant from Europe or the 
North need have any greater fear of sickness in the 
South than he is subject to at home. 

A thoroughly reliable, disinterested and competent 
witness on this subject is Dr. Walter Wyman, Surgeon- 
General of Public Health and Marine-Hospital Service of 
our Government, who delivered an admirable address on 
"Southern health conditions" before the Southern Com- 
mercial Congress in this city December 7, 190S. He said: 

"Impressions have prevailed concerning health condi- 
tions in the South which, though perhaps justified 
twenty-five years ago, are now entirely unwarranted. A 
principal cause for false impression is undoubtedly due 
to yellow fever, which formerly so frequently afflicted 
our Southern States, but which, it may fairly be claimed, 
is no longer a factor to be considered in the determina- 
tion of health conditions. 

"Such diseases as malaria and typhoid fever are sub- 
ject to the same causative agencies as prevail elsewhere; 
and as to tuberculosis, the climate is favorable in that 
it freely permits and encourages life in the open air. 
With regard to this and other diseases, the conditions 
seem more favorable than in colder localities where 
people are prone to shut themselves up with the disease. 

"I would not be understood to claim that sanitary or 
health conditions throughout the South are all that could 



133 



be desired, nor could I say the same concerning the 
North or any foreign country, but I do mean to say 
that with its salubrious climate, one may settle in any 
ot our Southern States, and by observing for himself 
and his family the sanitary laws and principles now so 
well understood, he will be under as favorable condi- 
tions for health and length of life as he could be any- 
where." 

A witness from my home town, Lake Providence, in 
northeast Louisiana, on the banks of the Mississippi, in 
the very center of the big bottom lands, is Hon. E. J. 
Hamley, one of the best men in the States. He states, 
in a recent letter to me: 

"I will say that I left the northeastern part of Mis- 
souri for Lake Providence, La., in October, 1879, and I 
havp lived here continuously since that time. All of my 
children have been born and reared in this town. 

"I know of no healthier part of the United States than 
I have found right here. My health and the health of my 
family has always been good, and I believe that I can 
honestly say that I have not spent $100 for doctor bills 
for myself in the whole time I have been living here. 

"I know of no better and healthier country for a young 
man to make a start in than right here, provided he is 
willing to take off his coat and go to work." 

One of the many splendid citizens contributed by 
Iowa to Louisiana is Mr. S. L. Cary, of Jennings, who 
never ceases to thank his stars for finding a home in the 
Pelican State. He writes me: 

"Next to Vermont, Louisiana has most old people to 
population, and the Gulf Coast line the lowest death 



rate in the States. In 1S80 the southwest Louisiana 
census gave the average family nine persons. For home- 
making, the easiest, best condition I have ever seen, and 
next to this, money-making easy. 

"I was here at 56; now S3; and the last twenty- 
seven years the healthiest and happiest of all my life. 

"As school children we were taught that Louisiana 
was a low, swampy, unhealthy country, the home of 
the alligator. The truth says, 'Thank God for the low- 
lands of Louisiana: SO bushels of rice, 40 tons of sugar 
cane, and $300 in oranges are entirely possible on a 
single acre of land." 

Another good man who went from Minnesota to 
Livingston Parish, La., is Mr. M. M. Garig, of Denham 
Springs, who writes' 

"The number of very old people will attest to the 
healthfulness of the country. Myself and boys work 
in the fields in the sun. In thirty-five years I have not 
seen a case of sunstroke. It is not nearly as hot as in 
Minnesota. Allow me to say the man that wishes to 
escape the rigors of northern winters will make no mis- 
take by visiting this part of the sunny south — Livingston 
Parish, La." 

And I conclude this branch of my subject with an 
extract from a letter of Dr. B. A. Ledbetter, of New 
Orleans, president New Orleans Medical Society, and a 
member of the Louisiana State Board of Health, as 
follows: 

"Your inquiry as to general health conditions of 
Louisiana has been received, and it gives me pleasure to 
say to you that I believe Louisiana, from a health stand- 



134 



point, is second to no State in the Union. It is useless 
for me to state that Louisiana, like Texas, has a variety 
of climate suoh as few other States enjoy. In the north- 
ern portion of our State you find a high, dry climate, 
particularly free from malaria and one of the best in the 
world for tubercular and similar diseases. In the central 
and southern portion of Louisiana the altitude is not so 
great. In south Louisiana, which includes the city of 
Xew Orleans, we have the delightful Gulf breezes, which 
make Xew Orleans one of the coolest and most delightful 
summer as well as winter resorts in the world." 

These two States — Louisiana and Texas — are typical 
of the entire South, and I say with the utmost candor 
that health, prosperity, a warm welcome and happiness 
await every immigarnt to Dixie who comes to bear an 
honest man's part in his new home, and does his duty. 

THE LANDS OF THE STATE. 

Speaking of the Mississippi Valley, Mr. Joseph E. 
Wing, of Mechanicsburg, Ohio, who is familiar with lands 
throughout the Union and a scentific as well as a prac- 
tical Ohio farmer and leading business man, recently 
wrote me as fell ws: 

"There are millions of acres in the South that have 
soils richer than those of central Illinois, that garden 
spot of the corn belt. These lands are unoccupied or 
thinly inhabited. They are now dreary, desolate, mos- 
quito-inhabited, moss-hung lands along the various 
southern streams, the swamp lands. The lands bordering 
the Mississippi River are made from the very cream 
of northern soils. These soils to an immense depth are 



the deposits of silt brought down by floods from wash- 
ings of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, and other rich.-soiled 
northern States. Technically these soils are immensely 
rich in potash and phosphorus, the essential elements 
of fertility. The black "buckshot" soils bordering the 
Mississippi River are also very rich in carbonate of 
lime. Carbonate of lime is the thing in soils that has 
always stood for enduring fertility. Carbonate of lime 
makes land ready for alfalfa and other soil-enriching 
clovers. 

"A man can take that land along the Mississippi River 
in Louisiana or one of the adjoining States and grow on 
it more alfalfa per acre than he can grow in Illinois or 
Iowa. On the alfalfa sod he can grow as much corn per 
acre as he can grow in Illinois, and perhaps he can 
grow more corn. He can live in a mild climate, delightful 
nearly every day from middle September till middle June. 
1 firmly believe that, living right, the- health of the white 
man in Louisiana will be better than the health of the 
man in Illinois, and the same is true of his family. He 
can grow there cheap bacon, beef, mules. He can grow 
rice, cotton if he desires, corn, alfalfa, wheat. Why, 
then, does he not do it? 

"The reason is not far to seek. The land is undrained. 
Only here and there are dry fringes along the margins of 
bayous. Nearly the whole of it is unbroken forest, sub- 
merged during part of the year. The descent of the 
stream is too slight for drainage, the surface of the land 
too flat. A few years ago the levees along the Mississippi 
River were too weak to afford protection. Now they are 
made strong, but the trouble from deficient outlet for 



135 



the heavy rainfall remains. The sluggish rivers need 
straightening. The Tensas has a channel four times as 
long as it would be if a few short canals were dug 
across bends; maybe it is ten times as long as it nebd 
be, because of its tortuous course. Other streams and 
bayous are similarly tortuous. 

"Individual effort, unfortunately, can not accomplish 
much in solution of this problem. Some of the streams 
that block drainage are navigable streams. A compre- 
hensive system of drains must be inaugurated. There 
must be main canals; these must lead to large streams; 
these must be widened in places, deepened in places, 
straightened. It is not a difficult problem. It is not even 
an expensive or costly thing to accomplish. A dollar 
spent in drainage here will do more than four spent in 
difficult irrigation enterprises in the West. These irriga- 
tion works are good; we rejoice to see them done; the 
whole people will be the richer for them, yet the Gov- 
ernment ought not to forget its other needy territory. 

"I know well the lands of America from one end to the 
other. I have studied soils and farms and farmers from 
Boston to San Francisco and from Washington to Florida. 
Thus I speak with knowledge when I say that we have 
no more priceless treasure than this Delta region of the 
Mississippi. It can be made to hold thousands of farms, 
small farms, each with its home, its children, and schools. 
I have lived in the Delta in July and been there during 
nearly every month. White men can there keep strong 
and will if they can escape mosquito infection and sleep 
oul of doors behind screens on porches during the warm 
weather. Malaria is easily escaped. When drainage 



comes, mosquitoes can be nearly eradicated, and then 
there will be no more malaria there than there is in 
Illinois." 

I thank Mr. Wing for these frank, truthful words. 

PRICES OF LAND. 

Coming back to the practical side of this question, I 
wish to say that most of these valley lands, which are 
covered with a tine growth of forest trees, can be pur- 
chased at from $7.50 to $20 per acre, according to loca- 
tion and character of the trees, and in most cases the 
hard-wood timber thereon is worth considerably more 
than this sum. Drainage, reclamation, preparing for the 
plow, buildings, and so forth, will cost from $17.50 to 
$35 per acre, according to character of improvements and 
various conditions; hence if reasonable allowance is made 
for the value of the timber, these splendid lands, im- 
proved and ready for homes, will stand at from $22.50 to 
$40 per acre, and when handled in large bodies by im- 
provement companies, or a consolidated band of colon- 
ists, a considerable reduction in these ligures can be 
secured. This is extraordinarily oheap when we consider 
that every acre will produce annually crops worth more 
than $50 cultivated by ordinary farm methods, and double 
that amount if handled with the high skill and intelli- 
gence of the best Iowa farmers. 

Forty acres of such land would support in comfort 
an average family of five persons, and on this basis 
these bottom lands would support a population of 600,000 
families, or 3,000,000 people, and add enormously to the 
national wealth. 



136 



Mr. Cox of Indiana. Will the gentleman yield for a 
question? 

Mr. Ransdell of Louisiana. I will be delighted. 

Mr. Cox of Indiana. In my county lands sell at $125 
to $200 an acre. Several of our farmers, especially young 
men, who owned from 40 to 80 acres, sold their lands 
and moved South, and particularly into Arkansas and 
Louisiana. They say to me that they get better land 
down there for $15 to $25 per acre than our lands, which 
sell at $125 per acre, and their new farms produce the 
same crops grown in our county. Now what do you 
know about that? 

Air. Ransdell of Louisiana. It is as true as Holy Writ, 
as I will show later. 

Mr. Cole. Will the gentleman yield? 

Mr. Ransdell of Louisiana. Certainly. 

Mr. Cole. Has the gentleman any information upon 
the reclamation of swamp land in the State of Louisiana, 
or any other Southern State, as to the cost of the re- 
clamation, the value of the land, the selling price when 
once reclaimed? 

Mr. Ransdell of Louisiana. In response to that ques- 
tion I will say within the last few months a company 
from Chicago bought 1,000,000 acres of land from Mr. 
Edward Wisner, of New Orleans, and they have begun 
to reclaim 50,000 acres. It is marsh land near the Gulf 
of Mexico, and it costs more to reclaim that kind of 
land by drainage than the land up on the Mississippi 
River where I live. According to Mr. Wisner, drainage 
of marsh lands costs an average price of about $20 per 
acre, while ordinary bottoms along the Mississippi can 



be drained thoroughly at from $3 to $5 an acre. When 
reclaimed it will produce more than any other land in 
the United States every year. It is remarkably fertile 
and has plenty of rainfall to fructify the crops. 

Mr. Cole. Mr. Chairman, I might add that there are 
two Ohio men who went to Louisiana about two years 
ago. They took up 30,0000 acres of this swamp land, 
and are now reclaiming it with a ditcher that is made 
in my home town, the Buckeye ditcher. It is well adapted 
to the work down there, and they expect to make a for- 
tune out of the redemption of those 30,000 acres of land; 
so the opportunities, I might add from personal knowl- 
edge, in the reclamation of these swamp lands in the 
State of Louisiana are considered very great. 

LOUISIANA QUEEN OF TJIE SOUTH. 

Mr. Ransdell. I must now emphasize some of the 
strong points of my native State, Louisiana — the queen of 
the South. 

Louisiana is unique in several particulars. A large 
portion of her surface is of recent formation, caused by 
the rich sediment of the Mississippi settling and making 
land as its rushing floods commingle with the quiet 
waters of the Gulf. This makes her, geologically speak- 
ing, the youngest of our States, and, like Benjamin, she 
occupies a tender spot in her father's heart. 

Louisiana has four great crops — sugar, rice, cotton, 
and corn. She easily leads the Union in the production 
of sugar and rice and is a heavy producer of cotton 
and corn. Practically every soil product and fruit of the 
Temperate Zone does well except wheat. Her grasses 



137 



and climate are admirably adapted to animal industry; 
cattle for beef and dairying, horses, mules, and sheep 
thrive; and she is the natural home of the hog, which 
does exceptionally well. Indeed, it is said by competent 
judges that Louisiana is the best State in the Union for 
raising hogs. 

Col. F. L. Maxwell, a Union soldier from Illinois, who 
cast his lot at Mound, Madison Parish, La., forty-five 
years ago, and has accumulated a large fortune by farm- 
ing, says: 

"As requested, I give you imy opinion on the advan- 
tages of Louisiana to the investor and home seeker. 
Louisiana has some 14,000,000 acres of alluvial lands, 
only one-fifth of which are in cultivation. All of this 
land is capable of being cultivated and can be easily and 
cheaply drained. 

"The opportunities in Louisiana for profitable invest- 
ment to both the home seeker and the investor are 
greater than in any other section; the climate is mild 
and healthful, without the extremes of heat and cold; and 
plenty of sunshine and rainfall (an average of about 52 
inches per annum). We have no sunstrokes or cold 
blizzards; we have excellent churches and schools; quick 
and easy transportation facilities. 

"As a corn country this is not excelled by the famous 
Wabash and White River bottoms of Indiana or the corn 
belt of central Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, or Kansas, and 
excels all other States in ribbon cane, cotton, rice, clover, 
alfalfa, Bermuda, peas, soya beans, and all kinds of 
vegetables. 

"Louisiana produces the finest oranges that grow; 



she produces apples, peaches, figs, and all kinds of fruits, 
and is the home of the large pecan. The wonderful crops 
of succulent grasses grown nearly all the year make 
this a great stock and dairy country, and the best mules 
I have ever owned are those I raised on my own prop- 
erty. Hogs, cattle, mules, and horses can be produced 
cheaper than in any other section I know of." 

LOUISIANA FISH AND GAME. 

In addition to animal and vegetable life, Louisiana 
has a vast storehouse of wealth in its fish and game. 
It is a veritable paradise of the sportsman. I have eaten 
oysters in every section of our coasts, and none of them 
equal in flavor the famous bivalves of Bayou Cook. The 
oyster-shipping industry is very important, and our 
oyster beds are much greater in area than those of any 
other State. Many varieties of the finest fresh and salt 
water fish literally swarm in our waters; innumerable 
game birds and fowls, including the delicious wild turkey, 
exist in every quarter; and the fierce black bear of our 
canebrakes tempted to its lair even the mighty nimrod 
whose recent exploits in Africa have caused suoh inter- 
est in the world'of sport. 

MARVELOUS LUMBER AND MINERAL 
WEALTH OF LOUISIANA. 

As a lumber producer we were exceeded in 1909 only 
by the State of Washington, our cut being two and three- 
quarters billion feet, and we led easily in production of 
cypress, one of the most valuable trees of the forest. The 
amount of outstanding timber is immense and will last 



138 



many years, especially if the wise conservation measures 
now being agitated are carried out. 

In geologic wealth Louisiana occupies a high place. 
Her sulphur deposits near Lake Charles and her gas 
wells near Shreveport are the richest known supplies of 
sulphur and gas on earth, and it is said her salt mines 
would supply the world for a great many years. She 
is also well supplied with oil, gypsum, sand for glass, 
potter's clay, and so forth. 

We have an ingenious process of forcing superheated 
steam through a large pipe into the sulphur deposits, 
thereby melting the sulphur and causing it to flow out 
as a liquid, practically pure and ready for commerce. 
It is so much cheaper than ordinary sulphur mining 
that we are driving out of business the other sulphur 
mines of the world. 

An eminent geologist of the National Government re- 
ci ntly told me that the gas fields near Shreveport, where 
this pre Mm, _• is now being wasted in large 

i titles, is the largest known to scientists and that 
it would generate more electrical power than all the 
waters of Niagara Falls, and a great deal cheaper. He 
said it was an ideal spot for -many enterprises requiring 
cheap fuel, especially in view of the proximity of sul- 
phur, salt, gypsum, and sand. He also mentioned that 
it.-, the mineral base of aluminum, is found in great 
quantity in \merica only in Arkansas, near Shreveport, 
whence it is carried thousands of miles to the cheap elec- 
tricity of Niagara, whereas an enormous saving might 
be effected if the Arkansas and Louisiana products, 
bauxite and gas, lying side by side, could be worked in 



co-operative unison. This is a great opportunity for 
some man of brains, and many others are offered by this 
wonderful gas field. 

Our whole Nation is aroused on the subject of con- 
serving our natural resources. Location and ownership 
of waterpower sites out West cause the fiercest contro- 
versy. Cabinets tremble at the mere mention of "con- 
servation." Captains of finance and industry are search- 
ing the world for profitable investment, and yet this 
marvelous wealth of gas in Louisiana, better than a 
dozen power sites in the West, equal in electrical pro- 
ductivity to the mighty How of Niagara's cataract, is 
wasting into air, actually going begging for some one 
to conserve and use it 

GOME TO DIXIE. 

In conclusion, let me again invite to Dixie the sturdy 
citizens of the North and West who have gone to 
Canada, or contemplate a change of domicile, and all 
good immigrants. The South wishes them and will wel- 
come them with open arms. My own Louisiana will 
gladly receive a million such people as are exiling them- 
selves from the best country on earth and the dearest 
flag that ever floated over freemen. The South has 
fields for corn and wheat and the cereals peculiarly 
classed as northern. She has fields for rice, cane, and 
cotton. She has lumber and minerals for the Nation. 
She has waters for power and upon which to float the 
richest argosies. She has a climate far superior to 
Canada, and is as healthy a land as any in the Union. 

"Come, then, to the Southland, and make it your 
home; come to Louisiana." 



139 



APPENDIX F. 

United States Department of Agriculture, 

Bureau of Plant Industry, 
Office of Farmers' Cooperative Demonstration Work, 

Washington, D. C-, February 25, 1910. 
Hon. Jos. E. Ransdell, If. C, 
Washington, D. C. 
My Dear Congressman. You have asked me to give 
an opinion on the agricultural possibilities of the South. 
The subject is so large that it will be necessary for me 
to classify and consider it under about four heads, as 
follows: 

1. Corn, hay, pasture, and forage crops. 

2. Stock raising. 

3. Fiber plants. 

4. Truck farming. 

It has been thought till recently that the South would 
not raise large crops of Indian corn, but a little demon- 
stration has proven that the soils and climate are spe- 
cially adapted for that purpose and that larger crops can 
be raised than in the so-called corn States. Climatic 
conditions are much more favorable for the corn plant, 
and as a large portion of the plant is of atmospheric 
origin, climate is of primary consideration. All that is 
necessary is to prepare the soil in the best way and use 
good farm methods, and the South will develop into one 
of the best corn regions of the Unted States. We have 
produced the past year under test from 80 to 150 bushels 
of corn per acre. For pasture and hay the South is also 
superior to most of the Northern States, first because 
of the greater rainfall and secondly because of more 



favorable climatic conditions. The reason the South has 
not developed in this line is because the farmers have 
been so engrossed in other crops that they have paid but 
little attention to hay and pasture lands and have failed 
to use the best methods. Under trial the past. year we 
have been able to produce from 4 to 6 tons of hay per 
acre where the soil was thoroughly prepared and the 
proper seed used. Then, there is a great variety of 
forage plants, such as the velvet beans, the cowpea, soy 
beans, Japan ribbon cane, etc., that grow with amazing 
vigor in the Southern States and arc- exceedingly nu- 
tritious, so that there can be an abundant supply for 
stock all seasons of the year. 

In three respects a large portion of the South is 
superlatively adapted to stock raising. First, because of 
the abundant forage that can be provided, as stated 
above; and secondly, because of the temperature, which 
is so mild that it does not tax the vitality of the animal, 
and It reduces the amount of food necessary to sustain 
life and vigor. Thirdly, as compared with the extreme 
North, there is a great reduction in the expense of pro- 
viding shelter in the winter, all of which means an addi- 
tion to the vigor of the animal and its immunity from 
disease, such as tuberculosis, etc. Then, the longer pe- 
riod of pasture makes it more economical. The com- 
paratively low price of lumber for building purposes is 
another important item. 

These facts are especially emphasized in case of pork 
production. Hogs can be pastured the year round on a 
variety of pasture forage that will nearly mature them 
for market without the addition of corn. Under the 



140 



I adjustment of agriculture in the United States I 

.e that a large portion of the South will be found 

ninently adapted to dairying; to the production of 

■ S, mules, and swine: poultry; and in the mountain 

districts to sheep; that it will be found that they can be 

ed more economically there than in most any other 

portion of the world. 

It is simply necessary to call attention to the great 

value of southern conditions for the production of the 

semi-tropical plants, sugar cane, rice and cotton, three 

of the best cash crops in the world. The United States 

ady produce 70 per cent of the flb^r that practically 

i '1'dhes the world. The rich alluvial lands along the 

are well adapted to the sugar cane. The river 

bo'ttoms and the coastal prairies take kindly to rice and 

uce it in great quantities. The past year an experi- 

i made by our department showed 93. bushels per 

of rice. Nearly all the Southern States produce 

>n. .As an example of what can be realized in cotton, 

e of the very sandy lands the past year produced 

as high as 2 bales, netting the owner more than $100 

per acre. 

Along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, and even in the 

interior, are large tracts of sandy loam land perfectly 

ted to truck-growing. They have not as yet been 

rtially developed, but ultimately they are 

going to constitute the permanent garden lands of the 

ed States. Single acres have yielded in celery, let- 

tui crops more than $1,000 per acre. 

Is unnecessary to dilate upon these facts. The 
South has not been understood; neither its soil nor its 



climate has been appreciated. Lands are far below their 
value at the present time, and there is no better place 
on the continent for young, thrifty, and vigorous men 
to start in a:ik ulture than in many of these Southern 
States. 

Respectfully submitted. 

S. A. KNAPP, 
Spcial Agent in Charge. 

APPENDIX H. 
Exhibit 1. 
United States Department of Agriculture, 
Weather Bureau, Office of the CI 

Washington, D. c., June 1, 1910. 
Hon. J. E. Ransdell, 

United States House of Representativtes, 
Washington, D. C. 
Dear Sir: In connection with your request to be fur- 
nished with a comparative statement regarding the cli- 
mate of the British Northwest Territories and that of 
the State of Louisiana, I have pleasure in advising you 
as follows: 

Meteorological observations covering the past thirty 
or forty years are now available from the respective 
sections, and it is possible to give you statistics that 
may be assumed to represent the extreme weather con- 
ditions that are liable to prevail over those districts. 

I have had tabulated and transmit herewith sum- 
maries of the more important climatic elements of the 
two districts from which comparison can readily be 
made, and in addition submit for your consideration the 



141 



following remarks regarding some of the features of the 
climate in the two sections not readily shown in the 
(;i bles: 

Probably the most important feature in the climate 
of the two sections, as affecting both animal and vege- 
table life, is the temperature. In this there is of course 
a wide difference; for instance, in the British Northwest 
Territories the winters are long and cold, the temperature 
reaching points as low as 50 degrees below zero; and 
temperatures of freezing- or lower are liable to occur in 
all except the three summer months. The average crop 
season therefore is limited to a period of little more 
than one hundred days, and on account of the cold 
nights and probability of frost, only the more hardy 
cereals, fruits, and vegetables are successfully grown. 
( in the other hand, over large portions of the State of 
Louisiana the temperature rarely goes as low as zero, 
and only during the colder months of the year does it 
reach the freezing point, thus giving a long period of 
crop growth, ranging from about two hundred and fifty 
days in the northern portion of the State to more than 
three hundred days in the southern portion. This long 
period of orop growth permits the cultivation of nearly 
every variety of agricultural product, and not only one 
but frequently two or three different crops may be 
secured from the same soil in a single year. 

While the summers are short in the British Northwest 
Territories, the maximum temperatures are frequently as 
high as in Louisiana, temperatures as high as 104 de- 
grees having been recorded at Swift Current, Saskatche- 



wan, while the highest ever recorded at Shreveport, La., 
is 107 degree, and at New Orleans maximum tempera- 
tures of 100 degrees are of rare occurrence. 

In the matter of rainfall, these Territories receive not 
more than 15 to 20 inches annually, while in Louisiana 
the amounts range from 45 to more than 50 inches. 
Despite the fact that the greater portion of the precipi- 
tion in the first-mentioned locality occurs in the growing 
season, frequent periods of drought occur, and water for 
all purposes becomes scarce. The precipitation in Lou- 
isiana is comparatively uniform throughout the year, is 
generally abundant for agricultural purposes, and short 
periods of drought that sometimes occur do not seriously 
affect the water supply. In these northern districts snow 
occurs in every month of the year, except those of sum- 
mer, and killing frosts are of frequent occurrence in May 
and September, and occasionally they do damage in 
June and August. On the other hand, in Louisiana the 
snowfall is very light, confined to the winter months 
only, and along the Gulf coast is of rare occurrence, 
while frosts seldom occur, except from November to 
February, and rarely do serious damage. 

I have included in addition to the data for the British 
Northwest Territories and Louisiana similar data from 
points in North Dakota and Iow-a for comparison of the 
climates of those States with that of your own. 

Very respectfully, 

WILLIS L. MOORE, 
Chief United States Weather Bureau. 



142 



EXHIBIT 2. — Comparison of Climate 

MEAN TEMPERATURE. 



Stations 




k 

d 

2 
a 


a 

a 
u 

d 

§ 


3 


d 


to 

s 

i 




g 
3 


u 
a 

E 
to 

D, 
o 
CQ 


u 

0) 

D 
o 

O 

o. 


a 
S 


M 
V 

6 

V 
O 

Q 


d 

3 
C 
S 
< 


Edmonton, Brit. N. W 


1.8 


8.3 


24.2 


39.9 


50.8 


56.9 


60.6 


58.8 


49.3 


41.1 


22.9 


13.1 


35.6 




— 8.4 
3.1 


— 3.0 

8.0 


12.0 
22.0 


36.1 
41.3 


47.6 
50.7 


57.7 
60.0 


61.9 
66.5 


58.9 
64.0 


48.4 
53.1 


37.1 
42.1 


15.4 
23.2 


2.8 
16.0 


30.5 


Swift Current 


37.5 




— 6.S 

6.7 

20.4 


— 1.6 

8.3 

24.1 


12.3 
22.1 
35.7 


35.9 

42.6 
50.6 


51.6 

55.2 
61.6 


62.2 

64.2 
70.4 


66.0 
70.2 
75.5 


63.4 
68.1 
73.0 


52.5 
57.1 
65.0 


39.1 

44.1 
52.5 


18.0 
26.0 
36.8 


4.1 
15.0 
25.7 


33.1 




40.0 


Dos Moines, Iowa 


49.3 


Shreveport, La 


46.2 


50.0 


58.2 


65.8 


73.2 


79.6 


82.1 


81.4 


75.7 


65.6 


55.3 


48.9 


65.2 


New Orleans, La 


53.0 


56.3 


62.0 


67.9 


74.5 


79.6 


81.3 


81.0 


78.0 


69.5 


60.6 


54.4 


68.2 



mean maximum temperature. 



Edmonton . . . 
Prince Albert . 
Swift Current 

Winnipeg 

Bismarck 
Des Moines . . . 
Shreveport. . . . 
New Orleans. 



23 


22 


34 


56 


65 


69 


74 


71 


60 


55 


34 


26 


12 


12 


27 


51 


64 


69 


73 


71 


58 


50 


29 


16 


23 


19 


33 


56 


65 


70.9 


7S 


77 


64 


56 


36 


27 


13 


12 


28 


54 


68 


73 


78 


76 


66 


54 


33 


16 


24 


22 


37 


56 


70 


77 


85 


83 


71 


57 


36 


29 


29 


32 


44 


61 


72 


so 


86 


83 


75 


64 


46 


34 


55 


59 


68 


77 


83 


90 


93 


92 


86 


77 


65 


58 


61 


64 


70 


76 


S3 


87 


89 


88 


85 


7S 


69 


63 



143 



EXHIBIT 2. — Comparison of Climates — Continued. 

MEAN MINIMUM TEMPERATURE. 



HIGHEST TEMPERATURE. 



Stations 


d 

3 
C 
tS 


E 

a 


3 


a 
< 


5? 

a 


a 

c 

3 
hi 


>> 
3 

1-5 


m 

S 
3 


u 

m 
a 
E 

0) 

o. 
w 


u 

a 

a 

o 
o 
O 


u 

V 

a 
S 

> 
o 

z 


u 

E 

0) 

o 




3 
C 

3 




4 


1 


10 


31 


39 


45 


50 


47 


38 


32 


17 


9 






—10 

4 

— 9 


—11 
— 1 
—11 


4 

14 

7 


26 
30 
29 


35 
41 
40 


46 
59 
49 


50 
52 
54 


48 
50 
52 


38 
40 
42 


30 
33 
32 


12 
19 
15 


— 3 
10 

— 2 




Swift Current 




Winnipeg 




Bismarck 


2 





11 


29 


40 


49 


53 


51 


42 


30 


14 


8 






11 


14 


26 


41 


51 


61 


65 


65 


54 


43 


28 


18 






38 


42 


49 


57 


64 


70 


73 


72 


66 


56 


46 


41 




New Orleans 


47 


50 


55 


61 


68 


74 


76 


75 


72 


63 


54 


48 





Edmonton . . . 
Prince Albert. 
Swift Current 
Winnii" 
Bismarck .... 
Des Mo 

New Orleans. 



48 


56 


61 


84 


90 


86 


94 


92 


87 


78 


74 


59 


53 


52 


62 


79 


90 


93 


87 


88 


S4 


75 


66 


52 


59 


58 


70 


86 


92 


104 


102 


101 


90 


83 


77 


54 


42 


44 


58 


81 


92 


100 


94 


93 


99 


82 


71 


41 


60 


64 


78 


90 


96 


99 


106 


105 


102 


89 


73 


64 


64 


70 


88 


90 


94 


101 


109 


103 


99 


91 


76 


69 


80 


81 


90 


96 


101 


104 


107 


106 


101 


95 


86 


79 


82 


82 


86 


89 


94 


98 


102 


100 


96 


94 


85 


S3 



144 



EXHIBIT 2. — Comparison of Climates — Continued. 

LOWEST TEMPERATURE. 



Stations 


b 

d 

3 

a 
a 
-> 


a 
2 

a 

fa 


I 


a 
< 


a 


9 

1 


1 


I 

3 
< 


u 
« 

s 

01 

a 

da j 


o 
u 
O 


s 

5 

i 


u 

or 

a 

a 
§ 


1 

1 




— 50 
— 60 
—41 
—45 
—44 
—30 
1 
15 


—43 
—48 
— 41 
—39 
—43 
—26 
— 5 
7 


—31 
—37 
—22 
—24 
—36 
— 8 
22 
30 


— 5 
— 14 

— 2 
2 

— 3 
11 
32 
38 


15 
g 

12 

11 
13 
26 
42 
52 


29 
30 
32 
23 
31 
41 
53 
58 


36 
36 
38 
36 
32 
48 
62 
66 


29 
32 
32 
32 
32 
40 
54 
63 


12 
18 
18 
22 
10 
26 
45 
55 


2 

— 4 
4 
6 

— 2 
14 
35 
40 


—27 
—28 
—22 
—29 
—28 
—10 
18 
29 


—36 
—40 
—27 
—34 
—38 
—20 
10 
20 

































MEAN MONTHLY PRECIPITATION. 



Edmonton 
Prince Albert.. 
Swift Current. 
Winnipeg 

Bismarck 

Des Moines.. . . 

Shreveport 

New Orleans. . 



0.68 


0.67 


0.72 


0.88 


1.55 


2.86 


3.03 


2.13 


1.33 


0.70 


0.58 


0.70 


.97 


.69 


.77 


.83 


1.26 


2.51 


2.05 


2.15 


1.28 


.83 


.83 


.74 


.64 


.74 


.81 


.93 


1.76 


2.67 


2.44 


1.91 


\:ll 


.88 


.69 


.78 


.88 


.98 


1.03 


1.05 


2.28 


3.29 


3.08 


2.67 


2.03 


1.70 


1.08 


.91 


.54 


.50 


1.04 


1.88 


2.50 


3.54 


2.14 


1.98 


1.19 


1.03 


.68 


.62 


1.21 


1.08 


1.65 


2.98 


4.56 


4.96 


3.86 


3.61 


3.07 


2.68 


1.48 


1.31 


4.42 


3.61 


4.52 


4.58 


4.16 


3.58 


3.72 


2.24 


3.22 


3.18 


4.08 


4.37 


4.63 


4.47 


6.30 


4.91 


3.88 


6.16 


6.47 


5.61 


4. SI 


2.93 


3.79 


4.46 



H B— 10 



145 



EXHIBIT 2. — Comparison of Climates — Continued. 

AVERAGB HOURS OF SUNSHINB. 



Stations 


d 

3 
C 

3 


5 

1 


s 

u 

d 


7 

0. 
< 


>> 
d 

3 


c 

c 
p 

1-5 


3 


n 


1 

a 

93 

to 


u 
o 

o 
o 
O 


u 

o 

& 




u 

o 

£ 

V 

V 




•Battleford 


107 
106 
162 
162 


126 
133 
197 
172 


167 
141 
230 
198 


210 
216 
275 
237 


199 
243 
288 
270 


213 
234 
330 

284 


250 
294 
290 
327 


249 
255 
237 
293 


157 
181 
202 
237 


142 
120 
139 
227 


89 

80 

121 

155 


73 




62 




143 
134 








148 


136 


186 


231 


214 


210 


234 


226 


163 


148 













•Average hours of bright sunshine. Not strictly comparable with data from other stations. P. C. D. 

MEAN RELATIVE HUMIDITY. 



Bismarck . . . 
Des Moines . . 
Shreveport . . 
New Orleans. 



72 


72 


72 


66 


65 


70 


66 


64 


66 


70 


72 


78 


77 


73 


66 


64 


70 


72 


71 


69 


70 


73 


74 


70 


69 


70 


74 


74 


76 


76 


74 


72 


73 


78 


78 


78 


76 


74 


76 


78 


80 


78 


74 


78 



LENGTH OF THE CROP-GROWING SEASON. 



Days 

Edmonton (approximately) 114 

Prince Albert (approximately) 114 

Swift Current (approximately) 118 

Winnipeg (approximately) 121 



73 
78 
72 

78 



Bismarck (approximately) . . . . 
Des iloines (approximately).. 
Shreveport (approximately)... 
New Orleans (approximately) . 



Days 
. 123 
. 163 
. 262 
. 310 



146 



EXHIBIT 2. — Comparisons of Climate — Continued. 

AVERAGE NUMBER OF DATS WITH 0.01 OR MORE PRECIPITATION. 



Edmonton . . . 
Prince Albert. 
Swift Curernt. 
Winnipeg 
Bismarck 
Des Moines. . . 
Shreveport . . . 
New Orleans . 



Stations 


d 

3 
£ 


3 
U 
XI 


u 

3 


a 
< 


& 

s 


to 

a 

3 
Ha 


>> 

3 

Ha 


5 

3 
< 


|4 
O 

-** 

a, 
a 
m 


u 

O 

o 
O 


u 

a 

1 
a> 
> 

o 

z 


u 

s 

o 
to 

Q 




7 
5 
7 
6 
7 
8 
11 
11 


8 
6 
7 
6 
8 
'8 
10 
10 


7 1 

7 | 
S | 
9 1 

8 | 

9 | 
10 1 

9 1 


5 
4 
5 
6 
8 
10 
9 
7 


10 
8 

12 
9 

11 

12 
8 
S 


15 
13 
15 
12 
12 
11 
9 
13 


13 
11 
11 
11 
10 
10 
9 
15 


11 
11 

9 
10 

8 

9 

7 

14 


9 
7 
7 

10 
6 
9 
7 

11 


5 
5 
6 
7 
6 
8 
6 
6 


7 
6 
6 
7 
7 
6 
8 
8 


7 




7 




7 




10 




7 
8 




» 




10 







AVERAGE DEPTH OF SNOWFALL. 



7.4 
5.1 

5.8 

7.1 
5.4 
9.9 
0.6 
0.2 



8.9 
8.9 
6.0 
5.8 
4.9 
6.1 
0.7 
0.3 



8.7 
7.0 
7.S 
13.0 
7.7 
4.9 
0.2 



4.1 

3.1 
2.5 
4.2 
2.5 
0.8 



2.0 
1.0 
2.1 
0.8 
1.4 
T. 



0.1 



0.1 



1.4 
1.5 
0.6 
0.2 



4.0 
2.4 
2.0 
1.0 

0.8 
0.8 



6.2 
9.5 
4.5 
7.7 
6.3 
2.7 



147 



EXHIBIT 2. — Comparisons of Climate — Continued. 

AVERAOE DATE OF FIRST KILLING FROST IN AUTUMN. 

•Edmonton, September 9. 
♦Prince Albert, September 9. 
fSwift Current, September 11. 
t Winnipeg, September 14. 

Bismarck, September 11. 

Des Moines, October 8. 

Shreveport, November 11. 

New Orleans, December 10. 

AVERAGE DATE OF LAST KILLING FROST IN SPRING. 

•Edmonton. May 17. 
•Prince Albert. May 17. 
tSwIft Current. May 15. 
tWinnlpeg, May 15. 

Bismarck, Mav 11. 

Des Moines. April 28. 

Shreveport. March 4. 

New Organs. February 3. 

EARLIEST DATE OF KILLING FROST IN AUTUMN. 

•Edmonton. August 25. 
•Prince Albert, August 25. 

Swift Current. 

Winnipeg. 

Bismarck, August 23. 

Dps Moines, September 12. 

Shreveport. October 20. 

New Orleans, November 11. 

LATEST DATE OF KILLING FROST IN SPRING. 

•Edmonton, May 31. 
•Prince Albert, May 31. 
tSwift Current. 
tWinnlpeg. 

Bismarck. June 7. 

Des Moines, May 22. 

Shreveport, April 2. 

New Orleans, March 27. 



•Not much data available. 

tKrom hourlv temperatures; 32 degrees Fahrenheit con- 
sidered as a frost, 



APPENDIX J. 

Comparison of general death rates of American cities, 

1871-1904. 

fFrom tables in paper by Mr. Frederick L. Hoffman In 

publications of the American Statistical Association, March, 
1906, pp. 5-7.) 

Death Rate per 1,000 Popu- 
lation. 

Southern Southern 

Northern cities, cities, 

and white colored 

Year western popula- popula- 

citles tion tion 

1871 23.7 26.7 38.1 

1872 28.7 29.2 41.2 

1873 25.7 28.0 45.8 

1874 23.7 26.2 39.3 

1875 24.7 24.1 36.8 

1876 24.0 23.4 38.7 

1877 21.1 23.4 41.0 

1878 20.2 *32.2 41.9 

1S79 20.3 21.2 ■ 35.0 

1880 22.0 21.5 34.8 

1881 24.9 23.3 37.4 

24.6 21.9 37.5 

1883 22.3 23.5 40.3 

1884 21.9 22.2 38. 5 

1885 .' 21.6 21.4 35.4 

1SS6 21.4 20.6 32.9 

1887 22.3 19.8 32.4 

1888 22.0 20.8 32.4 

1SS9 20.9 19.8 31.3 

1S90 21.5 21.4 33.9 

1891 25.4 20.7 32.7 

1S92 22.2 21.8 33.4 



148 



APPENDIX J.— Continued. 

Death Rate per 1,000 Popu- 
lation. 

Southern Southern 

Northern cities, cities, 

and white colored 

Year western popula- popula- 

citles tlon tlon 

1S93 21.6 20.2 32.3 

1894 19.8 19.0 31.3 

1885 19.7 20.1 32.4 

1896 18.9 19.0 31.6 

1897 17.5 17.7 27.9 

1898 17.4 17.8 29.2 

1S99 17.7 19.1 31.0 

1900 17.7 18.2 31.3 

190i 17.3 17.8 28.4 

1902 16.7 17.0 28.0 

1903 16.2 16.9 26.8 

1904 17.2 17.4 28.1 



•Yellow-fever epidemic. 

APPENDIX L. 
"A Belgian's Opportunities in Louisiana." 
(Speech of August Van Asselburg before the Louisiana. 
Farm Lands Congress at Alexandria, La., April 22, 
1910.) 
Louisiana is the home of a Belgian farmer. As I say 
this, I am talking about that farmer what got to rent 
his farm. The poor farmer in Belgium never will be the 
owner of a farm. Plenty of it never will be the owner of 
a horse. Some of it can go as far that they got a little 
old Shetland pony, but the most of it do the plow work 
with his milk cow and the wagon work with the wheel- 



barrow, and then he make only one crop in the year, and 
pays $10 to $15 per acre for rent and about $1 per acre 
for license (contribution). 

I was working a farm in Belgium of 30 acres. It cost 
me every year $240 rent, license included, and I was as 
good a farmer and as good a worker as any Belgian man, 
and at the age of 36 years, working day and night to 
save expenses of hired hands, I got nothing. Was not 
paid for my work. I could show no money, only we was 
making a living; what are called at the present day a 
poor living; and I was thinking on giving up farming, 
for it was too hard to keep it up any longer. But it 
happened that an old Belgian farmer came to the old 
country on a visit from Alexandria, Rapides Parish, in 
May, 1902. The people told me that he was good looking 
and that he got plenty of money and that he got a farm 
of 100 acres of his own. It was a wonder to me how 
that could be, for I know that he left the old country 
without a nickel. But one time I meet the old man, and 
he told me the story in Belgium. He told me of the 
happy farm life in Louisiana. It was hard to believe it, 
but today it is proven to me that the old man was right, 
and it was more happy than he told me. 

I came to Alexandria in September, 1903, beginning to 
farm in 1904. and right now I can =ay that a good and 
saving Belgian farmer in Alexandria can furnish his 
tahle with that stuff to eat the year around as the rich 
man do in Belgium, and generallv that it left always a 
little money on top of each year. This Is proven by 
every Belgian farmer of Alexandria; about all of them 
got his own farm and nobody came here with money. 
149 



Some of it count his property by hundreds of acres and 
all that came from the farm, and no wonder to me. We 
make here two and three crop per year, and each one is 
more valuable than the one crop in Belgium, and we pay 
here not half of the rent, and the expenses are not as 
big as in Belgium. 

To close, I can say, and It Is proven by me, that I 
make during five years working as a truck farmer several 



thousand dollars clear money, and It happened last year, 
1909, that I make between $4,000 and $5,000 clear money 
on not quite 50 acres of ground; and then another thing, 
if it was that you not make that money that I am talking 
about, what is possible to do for a Belgian farmer, it 
will pay him all right to come here and go to farming 
and see the happiness of his family. 



THE PARISHES OF LOUISIANA. 



THE STATE OF LOUISIANA is divided Into sixty 
parishes, or counties, the word "parishes" being 
strictly a localism, and has exactly the same 
meaning as county. Of these sixty parishes, 
fifty- five are reached by navigable streams, which are 
open nearly all of the year, and furnish means of 
transportation by this cheapest of all methods. They 
also create great competition among the railroad lines, 
and thus it is that Louisiana enjoys unusually low 
freight rates. These parishes are naturally divided into 
certain classes, which classification is based on the char- 
acter of soil found in different sections of the State. 
Starting With the north Louisiana parishes, we find the 
first great agricultural division known as the Good Up- 
lands. These lands are from 300 to 500 feet above the 
level of the sea. The soil is gray or yellow sandy loam, 
and very fertile. It washes easily, however, unless culti- 
vated by horizontal plowing or embankments. The sub- 
soil is a deep, sandy clay, and retains fertilizers well. 



Under this classification we find the parishes of Caddo, 
DeSoto, Sabine, Bossier, Webster, Red River, Claiborne, 
Bienville, Union, Jackson, Ouachita, Morehouse, and parts 
of Caldwell and East and West Feliciana. 

The red lands are on high ridges, but are very tena- 
cious, and are not easily washed. They are very fine 
cotton and corn lands, but are especially adapted to 
small grain. The natural forest growth of these lands 
are oaks of different varieties, dogwood, beech, sassafras, 
gum, ash, maple and short-leaf pine. Most of the 
parishes placed under this head have alluvial land bor- 
dering on the streams which intersect them. 

The alluvial region comprises the most fertile agri • 
cultural lands of the State. They are those parishes 
which border on the Mississippi River, the Red River, 
the Ouachita and their tributaries, the Gulf Coast ani 
lakes. This region occupies about 19,000 square miles, 
and its vast possibilities are inconceivable. The lands 
of this section are now leveed against the annual en- 



160 



croachlng floods of the rivers which traverse them. 
These levees are maii.tained by the United States Gov- 
ernment and the State Government, and several millions 
of dollars are spent every year in enlarging and strength- 
enirj them. The lands in this region are higher priced 
on account of their great producing value; but can be 
bought at rates that are reasonable when the value of 
the land is considered. The parishes which consist of 
or contain portions of alluvial lands are East Carroll, 
Madison, Tensas, Concordia, Morehouse, Ouachita, Union, 
West Carroll, Richland, Franklin, Caldwell, Catahoula, 
Pointe Coupee, West Baton Rouge, Iberville, Ascension. 
Assumption, St. James, St. John, St. Charles, Jefferson, 
Orleans, St. Bernard, Plaquemines, Lafourche, Terre- 



bonne, parts of Avoyelles, West Feliciana and East Baton 
Rouge. 

The bluff lands are those which are so called on ac- 
count of the existence of a ridge or bluff which runs 
along the eastern side of the Mississippi River, from 
about Baton Rouge until the intersection with the Mis- 
sissippi is reached. These bluffs are the first undula- 
tions of the great Appalachian system of mountains. 
The lands on the bluffs are composed of clays, but are 
fertile and productive. They are among the oldest lands 
in the State; having been cultivated for long years. On 
the western side of the Mississippi River only scattering 
bluff lands are found. These run through West Carroll, 
Richland, Franklin, and then in scattered patches on to 
the Gulf coast. 



ALL the parishes were requested to write their own 
descriptions, but only about twelve responded, 
and hence a general outline of the locations and 
characteristics of the others are all that can be 
presented. 

Below will be found the assessments for 1910, given in 
alphabetical order, followed by the populations as given 
by the United States Census of that year: 

TOTAL ASSESSMENT STATE OF LOUISIANA FOR 
THE YEAR 1910. 
Parishes — 

Acadia $ 7,419,900 

Ascension 4,150,613 



Parishes — 

Assumption 3,738,250 

Avoyelles 4,641,320 

Bienville 4,108,282 

Bossier 3,406,449 

Caddo 20,457,065 

Calcasieu 23,907,880 

Caldwell 1,820,340 

Cameron 1,395,640 

Catahoula 2,108,045 

Claiborne 2,530,460 

Concordia 2,009,540 

DeBoto 4,193,570 

East Baton Rouge 8,921,161 



161 



Parishes — 

East Carroll 1,918,620 

East Feliciana 2.499.908 

Franklin 2,783,156 

Grant 4,148,648 

Iberia 7,669,228 

Iberville 4,442,192 

Jackson 2,259,036 

Jefferson 5,682,378 

Lafayette 5,564,105 

Lafourche :.. 4,966,770 

LaSalle 3,731,926 

Lincoln 2,656.601 

Livingston 3,095,920 

Madison 2,779,560 

Morehouse 3,944,560 

Natchitoches 7,344,570 

Orleans • 231,045,937 

Ouachita 7,811,155 

Plaquemines 2,555,235 

Pointe Coupee 3,093,523 

Rapides 10,695,730 

Red River 1,510,491 

Richland 2,914,325 

Sabine 3,939,580 

St. Bernard 3,661.121 

St. Charles 2,980,676 

St. Helena 1,381.265 

St. James 4,964,790 

St. John 3,554,703 



Parishes — 

St Landry 11,195.820 

St. Martin 3,720,570 

St. Mary 7,959.245 

St. Tammany 5.985,950 

Tangipahoa 8.55S.230 

Tensas 2,087.590 

Terrebonne 4,927,981 

Union 2,704.275 

Vermilion 4,873,970 

Vernon 10,182,820 

Washington 4,544,870 

Webster 3,393,263 

West Baton Rouge 2,251,861 

West Carroll 1,935,900 

West Feliciana 2,044.961 

Winn 5,002,360 

Grand total $527,773,950 

POPULATION OF PARISHES. 
The population of the State of Louisiana is 1,656,3SS, 
as compared with 1,381,625 in 1900 and 1,118,587 in 1890 
The increase from 1900 to 1910, therefore, is 274,763, or 
19.9 per cent, as compared with an increase for the 
preceding decade of 263,038, or 23.5 per cent. 

The distribution of the population of. the State by 
parishes is shown by the following table: 

1910. 1900. 1890. 

The State 1,656,388 1,381,625 1,118,587 



152 



Parishes — 

Acadia 31 

Ascension 23 

Assumption 24 

Avoyelles 34 

Bienville 21 

Bossier 21 

Caddo 58 

Calcasieu 62 

Caldwell 8 

Cameron 4 

Catahoula 10 

Claiborne . . '. 25 

Concordia 14 

DeSoto 27, 

East Baton Rouge 34 

East Carroll 11 

East Feliciana 20 

Franklin 11 

Grant 15 

Iberia 31 

Iberville 30 

Jackson 13, 

Jefferson 18, 

LaSalle 9 

Lafayette 28 

Lafourche 33 

Lincoln 18 

Livingston 10 

Madison 10 

Morehouse 18 



,847 


23,483 


13,231 


,887 


24,142 


19,54: r. 


,128 


21,620 


19.629 


,102 


29,701 


25,112 


.""6 


17,588 


14,108 


.738 


24,153 


20.330 


,200 


44,499 


31,555 


,767 


30,428 


20,176 


,593 


6,917 


5,814 


.288 


3,952 


2,828 


.415 


16,351 


12,002 


.050 


23,029 


23,312 


,278 


13,559 


14,871 


,689 


25,063 


19.S60 


,580 


31,153 


25,922 


.637 


11,373 


12,362 


,055 


20,443 


17,903 


.989 


8,890 


6,900 


,958 


12,902 


8,270 


,262 


29,015 


20,997 


,954 


27.006 


21,848 


,818 


9,119 


7,453 


,247 


15,321 


13,221 


.402 






,733 


22,825 


15.966 


.111 


28,882 


22,095 


.485 


15,898 


14,753 


,627 


8.100 


5,769 


,676 


12,322 


14,135 


,786. 


16,634 


16,786 



Parishes — 

Natchitoches 36 

Orleans 339 

Ouachita 25 

Plaquemines 12 

Pointe Coupee 25 

Rapides 44, 

Red River 11 

Richland 15 

Sabine 19, 

St. Bernard 5, 

St. Charles 11 

St. Helena 9 

St. James 23 

St. John the Baptist 14 

St. Landry 66 

St. Martin 23, 

St. Mary 39 

St. Tammany IS 

Tangipahoa 29 

Tensas . 17, 

Terrebonne 28 

Union 20, 

Vermilion 26 

Vernon 17 

Washington IS, 

Webster 19 

West Baton Rouge 12 

West Carroll 6, 

West Feliciana 13 

Winn 18 



,455 


33,216 


25,836 


,075 


287.104 


242,039 


,830 


20,947 


17,985 


,524 


13,039 


12.541 


,289 


25,777 


19,613 


545 


39,578 


27,642 


,402 


11,548 


11,318 


,769 


11,116 


10,230 


,S74 


15,421 


9,390 


,277 


5,031 


4,326 


,207 


9,072 


7,737 


,172 


8,479 


S.062 


,009 


20,197 


15,715 


,338 


12,330 


11,359 


,661 


52,906 


40,250 


,070 


1S.940 


14,884 


,368 


34,145 


22,416 


,917 


13,335 


10,160 


,160 


17,625 


12,655 


,060 


19,070 


16,647 


,320 


24,464 


20,167 


,451 


18,520 


17,304 


.390 


20,705 


14.234 


,384 


10,327 


5,903 


,8S6 


9,628 


6,700 


,186 


15,125 


12,466 


.636 


10,285 


8,363 


,249 


3,685 


3,748 


,449 


15,994 


15,062 


,357 


9,648 


7,082 



153 



ACADIA PARISH. 

Acadia Parish is situated in the southwestern part 
of the State, and contains 394,240 acres of land. 

The formation is prairie; soil fertile and productive. 
It is drained by Bayou Nezpique to the west, and Queue 
de Tortue on the south, and through its central portions 
by Bayous Cannes and Plaquemines Brulee. 

Water is plentiful and good throughout the parish. 

Oil has been discovered in paying quantities. The 
Mamou field has furnished several gushers of consider- 
able magnitude. 

The Southern Pacific Railroad and branches pass 
through the parish; Crowley, situated on this line, is 
the parish seat, and one of the most prosperous cities 
of the State. 

Rice and sugar are the principal crop productions; 
the largest rice producing parish in the State; corn, 
cotton, hay, oats, sweet and Irish potatoes, and cowpeas 
are also produced. 

The fruits and nuts are the orange, grape, pear, 
prune, peach, fig, pomegranate and pecan. Timber is 
found along the bayous and coulees, suitable for build- 
ing and fencing, embracing the varieties of oak, cypress, 
cottonwood, elm, gum, ash, sugarwood, sycamore, persim- 
mon and willow. The raising of live stock is a profit- 
able industry, and sheep, cattle, horses and hogs thrive 
and Increase remarkably well here; many of the farmers 
being largely interested in wool growing. 

Game is found, such as rice birds, partridges, plovers, 
becasine and jack snipe, and papabot and doves. 

Land Is worth from $5.00 to $50.00 per acre. 



154 



ASCENSION PARISH. 

This parish, In the southeastern part of Louisiana, 
about forty miles northwest of New Orleans, with a 
population of about 28,000, Is unequally bisected by the 
Mississippi, that section east of the river being the 
larger. 

Its cultivated lands (98,118 acres) range in value 
from $20.00 to $75.00 per acre, its uncultivated lands 
(102,500 acres) from $10.00 to $25.00. Climatic and health 
conditions are excellent. Its level, incomparably fertile 
land, protected by a perfect levee system, is intersected 
by good roads. 

The railroads of the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley, the 
Louisiana Railway & Navigation Company and the Frisco 
Lines over the same road, on the east bank — on the west 
the Texas & Pacific, with its two branches, together 
with the Mississippi and the Amite Rivers, transport her 
products to the great markets. Two privately owned 
roads enable many farmers of the eastern section to 
ship cane to the factories of the railroad owners. 

The chief product is cane, converted by six factories 
into sugar, which averages 160 pounds to the ton. 

Rice is extensively grown, yielding about fourteen 
bags to the acre. 

The rental system obtains partly. 

Corn and hay are raised for home use. 

Cotton, once the principal crop of the New River 
and Brusles sections, has, because of the boll weevil, 
given place to cane, corn and hogs. Stock does well, 
but Is not extensively raised. The mild climate and va- 
riety of forage plants should promote a large dairy In- 




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156 



dustry. Two crops of many vegetables may be grown 
the same year. Blackberries and figs abound. Trucking 
and canning will pay farmers and promoters when or- 
ganized according to western methods. 

Loquat and Kumquat oranges. Japanese persimmons 
and quinces and certain varieties of peaches and pears 
thrive if tended. 

Pecans abound.' The national Agricultural Depart- 
ment, finding a pecan of superior quality, sent a special 
agent, Mr. Reed, to trace its source. He found the 
parent tree here in the yard of Mr. G. B. Reuss. Hun- 
dreds of its cuttings are now in the government's propa- 
gation nurseries. 

Poultry thrives, and the industry is capable of in- 
definite expansion. 

Shrimp abound and would justify canneries. 

One immense sawmill and six smaller ones convert 
into lumber the hardwoods, cypress, oak, ash and gum. 

Catfish, buffalo, sardines, trout, bream, bass, perch 
and sacalait swim in river and stream — deer, quail, 
plover, snipo, dove, papabotte and poule d'eau run in 
field and forest. 

Donaldsonville, fronting the Mississippi, its popula- 
tion about 6,000, is the parish seat. Her mercantile 
business is large. Three banks, ice factories, rice mill, 
foundries, asphalted streets, waterworks, churches, 
schools, newspaper, opera house and business league at- 
test her prosperity. 

Parish affairs are efficiently and economically ad- 
ministered, public improvement continuous always, well 



] within the Constitutional tax limit of ten mills. High 
license prevails. Labor is abundant. The people are 
kindly and orderly, churches are numerous, the schools 
are full, the jails nearly empty. 

Ascension enjoys a goodly measure of prosperity, but 
material wealth is not the only measure of value. She 
is rich in her schools, which are now found in her 

I every section. Her leaders having stressed the educa- 
tional need of the children, the people quickly responded, 
and aided them in their establishment of more and better 
schools. Children and teachers now occupy handsome, 

I comfortable,' well-equipped schoolhouses. Her school 
system is unsurpassed by that of any other parish. 

Ascension invites the capitalist, the man of modes 
means, the promoter of small industries, to an investiga- 
tion of her resources. Her rich soil, delightful and 
healthy climate, well-ordered ' society, churches and 
schools, these she would share with the stranger beyond 
her gates, and, so sharing, incrca.sc her own prosperity 
along with his. 

ASSUMPTION PARIS' . 

This parish is situa ' ed in the southern part r '.he 
State, and contains 227,200 acres of land. The formation 
is composed of alluvial land and wooded swamp; soil 
rich and highly productive. 

It is drained by Bayous Lafourche, Grant and Vin- 
cent, and Grand River and Grand Lake. 

The Southern Pac'fic (main line) runs through its 
extreme southern sections, and has a branch line, run- 
ning from Napoleonville, south, connecting with the 



156 






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South. 



157 



main line at Schriever Junction. The Texas and Pacific 
Railway also has a branch line, traversing the parish 
north and south, along the east bank of Bayou La- 
fourche, connecting with the main line at Donaldson- 
ville. 

Napoleonville, situated on Bayou Lafourche, is the 
parish seat. 

Sugar is the chief crop, and rice, corn, hay, oats, 
sweet and Irish potatoes,, peas, tobacco and the garden 
varieties are produced. The fruits and nuts are the 
orange, fig, pear, plum, peach, persimmon, pomegranate 
and grape, pecans and English walnuts. 

The timber is chiefly cypress, oak, gum and persim- 
mon with some Cottonwood, willow and sycamore. Some 
live stock is raised, mostly cattle and hogs. There is 
such game as partridges, rice birds, plovers, snipe and 
becasine, coons, opossums, mink and squirrels; also, in 
season, wild ducks, wild geese and woodcock. 

1 he bayous and lakes furnish varieties of fish, 
among them trout and black bass, and white perch. 

I and in Assumption parish is worth from $1.50 to 
$60.00 per acre. 

AVOYELLES PARISH. 

Avoyelles parish is situated near the central part of 
the State, and contains 539,520 acres of land. 

The formation is of several varieties; alluvial land, 
prairie, bluff land and wooded swamp, the latter pre- 
dominating. The soil is fertile and productive. It is 
drained by the Red, Saline and Atchafalaya Rivers, and 



Bayous Long, Natchitoches, Avoyelles, De Glalse and 
Rouge. 

Water is plentiful and of good quality. 

The main line of the Texas and Pacific Railroad 
passes through its southwestern section, and has two 
branch lines taversing the parish east and west and a 
portion of the northern central part of the parish. Louis- 
iana Railway and Navigation Company's line crosses the 
parish from northeast to southwest. Marksville Is the 
parish seat. 

The products arc chiefly cotton and corn; sugar-cane, 
alfalfa, oats, hay, peas, sweet and Irish potatoes, sor- 
3hum and garden varieties are also produced. 

The fruits and nuts succeed well here, such as 
peaches, pears, pecans, apples, figs, plums, quinces. 
jrapes, pomegranates, persimmons and the smaller kinds. 

The live stock industry is profitable and cattle, 
sheep, hogs, horses and mules are raised in abundance. 

(lame is plentiful, such as bear, deer, foxes, coons. 
-urns, squirrels, rabbits and wild turkeys, partridges, 
rice birds, robbins, snipe, woodcock, wild duck, wild 
geese, pheasants and plovers. Fish of excellent quality 
and large quantities abound in the lakes and streams. 
The timber of this parish is very extensive, comprising 
oak, ash, cypress, gum, elm, Cottonwood, poplar, pine, 
locust beech, maple, hickory, holly, magnolia, walnut, 
hackberry, sycamore, persimmon and willow. 

Land is worth from $2.50 to $25.00 per acre. 

This parish is not only the center of the State geo- 
graphically, but the very center of the alluval district of 



158 





A FARMER'S BUNGALOW IN BOSSIER PARISH. 



Vineyard at Plain Dealing. 



159 



the State. A glance at the map of Louisiana reveals 
the fact that Avoyelles parish is traversed on the nortli 
by the Red River, on the east by the Atchafalaya, with 
the Mississippi only a short distance further east, and 
the further fact that the parish is traversed by in- 
numerable smaller streams, all running from the north- 
west to the southeast, accounts for the rich alluvial 
farming lands, and explains the free and easy drainage. 
Forty tons of cane have been produced to the acre, but 
cane is not the only moneyed crop; this parish has 
produced 54,000 bales of cotton in a season, and the 
Avoyelles Boys' Corn Club took first prize at the State 
Fair last year. This corn was of such good quality 
that the Progressive League of Alexandria borrowed the 
exhibit and placed it on exhibition at the Land and Irri- 
gation Exhibition in Chicago, where it attracted marked 
attention. Aside from its agricultural resources, this 
parish contains many thousand acres of virgin timber 
as named above. There are several large lumber manu- 
facturing companies in the parish, and room for more. 

BIENVILLE PARISH. 

This parish is situated in the northwestern part of 
the State and contains 547, S40 acres of land. Its forma- 
tion is good upland, red, sandy clays, the soil being- 
fertile and productive. 

It is drained by Lake Bistineau on the west, and by 
Bayous Blacklake, Saline, and the headquarters of Dug- 
demona River in other sections. 

The Vicksburg, Shreveport and Pacific Railroad 
passes through the northern portion of the parish. The 



Louisiana and Northwestern Railroad runs north and 
south, from Gibsland, .on the Vicksburg, Shreveport and 
Pacific Railroad, connecting on the north with the Cot- 
ton Belt, and on the south with the Texas & Pacific 
and the Louisiana Railway and Navigation Company. 

Water is abundant and good. Many springs, creeks 
and branches. 

Arcadia, situated on the Vicksburg, Shreveport and 
Pacific Railroad, is the parish seat, and has a cotton 
compress, cotton oil mill, ice factory, electric light 
plant and other industries. 

The timber is oak, pine, ash, cypress, persimmon, 
gum, beech, elm, holly, hickory, sycamore, poplar and 
Cottonwood. 

Cotton is the chief crop product; corn, hay, oats, 
peas, sugar-cane, sweet and Irish potatoes, sorghum and 
tlie garden varieties all do well. A diversified farming 
section. 

The fruits and nuts are apples, pears, peaches, pe- 
cans, plums, quinces, grapes and figs. 

Cattle, hogs, sheep and horses are raised and thrive 
well. 

Game is found, such as deer, coons, opossums, foxes, 
squirrels, rabbits, mink, wild turkeys wild ducks and 
geese, partridges, snipe, and woodcock. Fish of goo J 
quality are found in the lakes and streams, among them 
bar fish, trout, bass and perch. There are deposits of 
salt, fireclay, potters' clay, marl and green sand. 

Lands are worth from $2.00 to $15.00 per acre. 



160 









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161 



BOSSIER PARISH. 

Bossier parish is located in the northwest corner of 
the State. Bounded north by Arkansas, east by Webster 
parish, and south and west by Red River, across which 
lies Caddo parish. Along the river there is a belt of 
alluvial bottom lands consisting of 120,000 acres; back 
from the river lie the rolling hill lands amounting to 
385,000 acres. 

Across the river, midway the western boundary, 
is the city of Shreveport, the second city of the State. 

The rolling country has in the main a sandy soil with 
a red clay subsoil, and often yields as well as the alluvial 
lands. 

Good water is found at a depth of from 20 to SO feet, 
and there are springs throughout the hills. 

This section of the country is equal for truck, fruit 
and other farming to many of the more widely advertised 
parts of the South; such pasture grasses as Bermuda 
grass, Carpet grass, Japan clover, etc., make live stock a 
profitable industry. 

The great attraction this section has for the northern 
farmer is the climate; it is practicable to farm eleven 
months in the year; freezing weather will not occur 
more than twenty or thirty days in the winter season, 
nor last more than a day or two at a time. 

Extremes of heat, often occurring in the west, seldom 
happen here. 

Lumber is the principal manufacturing industry. 

There is a large amount of second growth pine that 
offers a good opening for investment capital, some of 



it scaling as high as 12,000 feet to the acre. Gum, oak, 

ash, hickory and other hardwoods are still available for 
manufacturing. There are several deposits of iron oro 
and fireclays which are thought to be of commercial 
value. 

Many acres have been leased for oil and gas devel- 
opment, as the great oil and gas fields of Caddo are just 
across the river. 

The principal towns are Plain Dealing, Benton, Bos- 
sier City and Haughton, with populations varying from 
300 to 800 people. 

Four railroads enter the parish and terminate at 
Shreveport, the St. Louis and Southwestern (Cotton Belt) 
from the north, the Vicksburg, Shreveport and Pacific 
and the Louisiana and Arkansas from the east, and the 
Louisiana and Red River Navigation Company from 
the south. 

Good material for the building of roadways, a dis- 
integrated iron rock, is abundant, and some very satis- 
factory results have been attained. 

Schools consisting of the usual primary and high 
school grades are conveniently located throughout the 
parish. 

Churches of all the different denominations are rep- 
resented both in town and country. 

Agriculture is the main occupation n* the people; 
cotton, corn and hay are the staple crops. 

Alfalfa grows luxuriantly in the bottom lands, and 
is a finer quality than that of the north or west, pro- 
ducing about four tons to the acre. 



162 






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The improved methods of producing cotton enabls 
the farmer to grow about as much per acre as before 
the advent of the boll weevil. 

The yield of corn is on a par with any part of the 
South, and is of a finer quality than that produced in 
the corn belt proper, due to our longer drying season. 

Oats are a paying crop in this section, when planted 
in the fall affording a fine winter pasture, and ire 
ready to harvest the last of May. 

It has been demonstrated that the growing of rice 
will soon become a source of great profit, owing to 
abundance of water and ease of drainage. 

The early production of truck for the northern mar- 
kets has been found profitable. 

All fruits and nuts of standard and semi-tropical type 
grow in abundance. 

The health of the country is as i_; ..... 1 as any section 
of the Mississippi Valley, the prevalence of mosquitoes 
and flies depending on the sanitary conditions of the 
home and surroundings. 

I. amis range in value from $5.00 per acre up. 

All these and more grow in Bossier parish: Beans, 
Oats, Sorghum, Swine, Irish potatoes, Elegant poultry, 
Rice, Peanuts, Apples, Roses, Indian corn, Sugar-cane, 
Horses. 

CADDO PARISH. 

Caddo, one of the greatest parishes in Louisiana from 
a viewpoint of both population and natural resources, is 
located in the extreme northwest corner of the State. 



The parish has an area of 545,280 acres of land, which 
is characterized as upland and alluvial. 

It is one of the greatest agricultural parishes of the 
State, Shreveport being the second largest cotton market 
in the State, and prior to the coming of the boll weevil 
was the greatest inland cotton market in the world. 

Shreveport is a city of 30,000 souls. The city as a 
whole is supported by the surrounding fertile farm lands 
and the lumber industry, though the gas and oil business 
is a rapidly increasing feature of the city's commercial 
life. 

The soil of Caddo parish is among the most fertile 
in the country. It produces every known product of the 
Temperate Zone. Last year the parish shipped 150 cars 
of potatoes, 10 cars of cabbage, 1500 cars of corn and the 
cotton receipts at Shreveport were 90,000 bales. 

Vital statistics for the city of Shreveport show a 
death rate as low as that of Denver, Col. The climate 
is delightful, Caddo being too far east to be affected by 
the hot, dry winds in the summer or the western bliz- 
zards by winter. 

Comparison of the weather records of Shreveport. 
Fort Worth and Dallas will show that on unusually cold 
days it is from 5 to 10 degrees warmer in Shreveport, 
while during the hot weather the records here show a 
temperature from 5 to 10 degrees cooler. Yet the Texas 
cities are practically on the same longitude as Shreveport 
and Caddo parish. 

Caddo is equipped with one of the best school sys- 
tems in the State. Shreveport's school system is un- 



164 




POSTOFFICE AT BATON ROUGE. 



excelled, while in the country districts the parish is 
being districted and graded schools installed. School 
vans are furnished by the parish board to haul the chil- 
dren to and from school. 

A movement is now on foot for better roads through- 
out the parish, while this will not only better the coun- 
try schools but will enable the planters to bring their 
crops to market with much less .expense. 

Shreveport has a considerable number of manufac- 
turing industries established already, but with its navi- 
gable stream to the gulf and ten lines of railroads, it is 
one of the best locations for factories known. Gas from 
the Caddo fields is cheap, and the fuel problem will be 
easily solved. 

In addition to its agricultural wealth Caddo also 
has one of the greatest oil fields in the south and the 
greatest gas field in the world. The daily production of 
oil from the field at the present time is over 4,000 bar- 
rels per day. Gas wells making 50,000,000 cubic feet of 
the best of all heating and illuminating gas are a matter 
of every day occurrence in the Caddo field. One com- 
pany alone recently valued its property in the Caddo 
fiel^ at $15,000,000, which shows the extent to which 
developments have already progressed. 

These are the things which Caddo can claim with 
all truth — Shreveport, the second greatest city of the 
State, whose death rate is the lowest in the enire nation. 
A city of excellent schools, of many churches, more 
paved streets than any other city of the same popula- 
tion In the United States. A city which is the home 



of the State Fair, a charity Hospital (State Institution), 
two orphanage asylums, one Old Lady's Home, five col- 
leges, all church institutions, and two business colleges. 

Caddo contains excellent cotton-producing soil, makes 
corn equal to any in the country, produces potatoes and 
other truck to an extent unexcelled by any other section 
of the south. Lands are cheap and the new homeseeker 
will find Caddo one of the best places on earth to which 
he may bring his family and an ambition to build a new 
home and a fortune. 

CALCASIEU PARISH. 

This parish has the largest area in the State, and 
contains 2,091,520 acres of land. 

Its formation embraces prairie, pine hill, pine flat, 
coast r^arsh, and a little alluvial and wooded swamp 
land. 

It is drained by Bayous Nezpique and the Sabine, 
Mermentau, and the Calcasieu River, with its manv 
tributary streams. Water is plentiful and of good 
quality. 

The Southern Pacific, the St. Louis, Watkins and 
Gulf, and the Kansas City Southern Railroads traverse 
the parish. Lake Charles, situated on Lake Charles, is 
the parish seat. 

The crop productions are principally rice and sugar; 
corn, cotton, sweet and Irish potatoes, peas, hay, oats 
and garden crops are also raised. 

The fruits and nuts are the orange, grape, peach, 
pear, plum, pecan, guava, pomegranate, prune and fig. 



166 



The timber Is pine, oak, gum, elm, sugarwood, Cot- 
tonwood, willow, locust and persimmon. The lumber in- 
terests, long-leaf yellow pine, are extensive, and millions 
are here invested. Live stock raising is a profitable in- 
dustry, and sheep, cattle, hogs and horses are extensively 
raised. Game is found, such as deer, foxes, coons, rab- 
rits, squirrels, snipe, becasine, partridges, rice birds, 
plovers, robins, wild ducks and geese, woodcock, pheas- 
ants and papabot. Fishing is good in the streams and 
lakes; bass, trout and carp are found. 

Inexihaustive deposits of sulphur are found, and 
gypsum exists in great quantities. Petroleum oil of a 
high grade has been bored for and found in paying quan- 
tities. Good pumping wells have been produced, but so 
far no gusher. 

Lands are worth from $1.00 to $50.00 per acre. 

CALDWELL PARISH. 

This parish is situated in the north central part of 
the State, and contains 348,800 acres of land. Its forma- 
tion is alluvial, pine hills and good uplands. Its physical 
outlines or topographic features are very rugged and 
broken in the upland portions of the parish, but the soil 
is fertil j and productive. 

It is drained by the Ouachita and Boeuf Rivers, and 
Bayous Castor, Lafourche and Marengo. 

The St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Rail- 
way runs through the parish, north and south. Columbia, 
situated on the Ouachita River, is the parish seat. Water 
is plentiful and of good quality. The timber consists 
of pine, oak, ash, beech, hickory, cottonwood, gum, elm. 



poplar, magnolia, locust, holly, maple, walnut, persim- 
mon and willow. The principal crop is cotton; corn, 
oats, hay, peas, sweet and Irish potatoes, sorghum, sugar- 
cane, tobacco and garden products are raised. 

Live stock are raised, consisting of cattle, hogs and 
sheep, in large quantity. Game abounds, such as deer, 
foxes, coons, opossums, squirrels, rabbits, wild turkeys, 
partridges, wild ducks, geese and woodcocks. Fish are 
plentiful in the streams and bayous, where bass, bar 
fish and trout are found. 

There are deposits of chalk, kaolin, fire clay, pot- 
ters' clay, iron and marl in the parish. 

Private land sells from $1.00 to $10.00 per acre. 

CAMERON PARISH. 

This parish is situated in the southwestern corner 
of the State, and contains 998,400 acres of land. The 
formation is largely coast marsh, with some prairie and 
alluvial land, the soil being extremely rich and highly 
productive. It is drained in part by the Mermentau, 
Calcasieu and Sabine Rivers. Lakes Sabine, Grand and 
Calcasieu lie within its confines. 

The Kansas City, Watkins & Gulf Railroad passes 
through the parish. Cameron, situated at the mouth of 
Calcasieu Pass, is the parish seat. 

Cistern water is chiefly used. The timber is cypress, 
oak and willow. The fruits are the orange, lemon, olive, 
fig, grape, banana, guava, prune, plum and mandarin. 

The crop productions are rice and sugar, while gar- 
den truck succeeds well. 



167 



Game, such as wild duck and geese, becasine, jack 
snipe, papabot and rice birds are abundant. Fishing is 
extensive and excellent; sheepshead, red fish, pompano, 
salt water trout, Spanish mackerel, carp, shrimp an 3 
crabs abound, and the oyster and diamond back terrapin 
exist in extensive quantities. 

Lands are worth from $1.00 to $25.00 per acre. 

CATAHOULA PARISH. 

This parish is situated near the central part of the 
State, and contained 864,000 acres of land before Lasalle 
was taken off. The formation is pine hills, wooded 
swamp, alluvial land, good upland and bluff land; the 
alluvial lands being very rich and productive, and the 
good uplands and bluff lands being of a superior quality 
and very fertile. The parish is drained by the Ouachita, 
Tensas, Black and Little Rivers, Bayous Louis, Saline 
and Castor and Gastons, Fords, Brushley, Hemp Hill and 
Funny Louis Creeks. The New Orleans and Northwestern 
Railroad passes through the eastern portion of the parish 
and the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Rail- 
road through its northwestern corner. Harrisonburg, 
situated on the Ouachita River, is the parish seat. The 
water supply throughout the parish is abundant, and 
generally of good quality. There are valuable mineral 
waters at the While Sulphur Springs, the Castor Springs, 
Gaston's Creek, Harrisonburg and other points, of vers - 
superior qualities. There are deposits of kaolin, bauxite, 
limestone, grindstone, Ouachita honestone, flintstone, 
potters' clay, lignite, marl green sand and iron. 

The timber is very extensive and various, with pine 



in the lead; the other varieties being oak, cypress, ash, 
Cottonwood, willow, gum, elm, hickory, locust, mulberry, 
sassafras, maple, walnut, poplar, sycamore, holly, beech, 
magnolia and persimmon. 

The fruits and nuts are peaches, pears, pecans, ap- 
ples, plums, grapes, figs, and quinces. The wild mav- 
haw grows abundantly throughout the western portions 
of the parish, and this fruit has no superior, and, in 
fact, no equal, for jellying purposes, having a peculiar 
and delicate flavor possessed by no other fruit. A factory 
for preserving this fruit (which is allowed to waste and 
rot), in the forms of jellies, would be a very paying in- 
vestment. The bluff lands of Sicily Island are of a 
superior quality. The chief crop product is cotton, while 
corn, oats, hay, sweet and Irish potatoes, tobacco, sorg- 
hum and sugar-cane yield abundantly. The live stock 
are hogs, sheep and horses; a large industry being de- 
veloped in raising hogs for shipment. 

Game is found, such as deer, bear, foxes, coon«, 
opossusm, squirrels, rabbits, wild turkeys, wild duckd 
and geese, partridges, robins, rice birds and woodcocks. 
Fish are plentiful in the creeks, bayous and lakes: among 
them are found trout, bass, bar fish and white perch. 

CLAIBORNE PARISH. 

This parish is situated in the northwestern part of 
the State, and contains 497,920 acres of land. The forma- 
tion is good uplands, red sandy clays, the soil being fer- 
tile and productive. It is drained by the headwaters of 
Bayou D'Axbonne and numerous small streams. 



168 




ALFALFA FIELD IN CADDO PARISH. 
169 



Homer, situated near the center, is the parish seat, 
and is on the line of the Louisiana and Northwestern 
Railroad. This railroad runs through the parish north 
adn south, and has direct connections with the Cotton 
Belt, the Vicksburg, Shreveport and Pacific, the Louisi- 
ana Railway and Navigation Company, and the Texas 
and Pacific Railrods. Water is plentiful and of excellent 
quality. 

Cotton is the chief product; corn, oats, hay, peas, 
sweet and Irish potatoes, tobacco, hemp, wheat, buck- 
wheat, sugar-cane and sorghum all yield good crops. 

The fruits and nuts are peaches, apples, pears, plums, 
pecans, quinces, pomegranates and grapes. The soil and 
climate of this parish have been found especially adapted 
to peach growing, the fruit being very highly esteemed 
on the market for both its size and flavor. 

The timber is oak, pine, poplar, hickory, beech, holly, 
elm, walnut, maple and locust. Live stock raised here 
are cattle, sheep, hogs and horses. Game is found, such 
as deer, coons, opossums, foxes, squirrels, rabbits, wild 
turkeys, partridges, woodcock and robins. 

The streams are mostly smaller, but fine varieties of 
fish are found in their waters, among them trout, bar 
fish, 'perch, and blue and spotted cat. Deposits of marl, 
green sand, potters' clay, fire clay, iron and lignite are 
found. 
CONCORDIA PARISH. 

This parish is situated in the east central part of 
the State, contains 425,000 acres of land. Its forma- 
tion is alluvial land and wooded swamp; soil highly 



fertile and productive. It is drained by the Mississippi, 
Tensas, Black and Red Rivers. 

Vidalia, on the Mississippi River, the new Gould line, 
and the New Orleans and Northwestern Railroad, is the 
parish seat 

The New Orleans and Northwestern Railroad runs 
through the northeastern part of the parish, and there 
is also a line extending from Conocordia Station to 
Trinity, on the Tensas River. 

The new Gould line traverses the parish north and 
south, and is now partially in operation. When completed 
this road will furnish direct communication with New 
Orleans and St. Louis. 

The timber is oak, cypress, ash, gum, elm, cotton- 
wood, hackberry, persimmon and willow. The chief crop 
product is cotton; corn, hay, oats, sweet and Irish pota- 
toes, peas, sorghum, sugar-cane and tobacco are raised. 
Live stock raised are chiefly cattle and hogs. 

The fruits and nuts are pears, peaches, pecans, 
grapes, figs, apples and plums. Game abounds, such as 
deer, bear, coons, opossums, squirrels, rabbits, wild tur- 
keys, wild ducks and geese, partridges and woodcock; 
also rice birds. Fish are plentiful in the lakes and rivers, 
among which are bass, blue cat, white perch and pike. 

Lands are worth from $2.00 to $30.00 per acre. 

DE SOTO PARISH. 

The Parish of De Soto is situated In the northwestern 
part of the State, and contains 547,840 acres of land. 
The formation is chiefly good uplands, with a Httlo 
alluvial land along the Sabine River and Bayou Pierre. 



170 




Hill Memorial Library, Louisiana State 
University. 




HAY LOADER IN OPERATION — BATON ROUGE. 



171 



It is drained by these two streams and their numerous 
small affluents. The soil is of good quality, fertile and 
productive. 

The Texas and Pacific Railroad and the Shreveport 
and Houston, Kansas City Southern Railroads extend 
through the parish. Mansfield, situated near the center, 
is the parish seat. It is on the Kansas City Southern 
Railroad and has a short tap line connecting it with the 
Texas and Pacific Railroad. Water is abundant and of 
good quality. 

The chief crop product is cotton; corn, hay, oats, 
sweet and Irish potatoes, peas, sorghum, tobacco and 
sugar-cane, all thrive well. The fruits are peaches, pears, 
apples, plums, figs, pomegranates, quinces and grapes. 

The timber is chiefly pine, oak, poplar, beech, holly, 
gum, magnolia, elm, maple, locust, mulberry, hickory, 
and some walnut is found. 

Game, such as deer, coons, opossums, foxes, rabbits 
squirrels, wild turkeys, partridges, wild ducks, wild 
geese, woodcock and rice birds are found. Fish of vari- 
ous kinds abound in the streams and lakes. Live stoe<s 
raised are cattle, hogs, sheep, and some horses. Deposits 
of potters' clay, fire clay, kaolin, iron, marl and green 
sand are found; also extensive beds of lignite, producing 
a high grade coal. The commercial value of these beds 
has only been recently demonstrated, and in the opinion 
of experts, the quality and extent of the deposits promise 
to make this industry quite an important factor in the 
development of north Louisiana. 

Lands are worth from $1.00 to $15.00 per acre. 



EAST BATON ROUGE. 

The parish of East Baton Rouge, area 272,000 acres, 
fronts on the Mississippi River, one hundred and thirty 
miles above New Orleans. 

The city of Baton Rouge, eighty miles from New 
Orleans by rail, is the parish seat and the capital of 
the State, and is built on the extreme southern point of 
bluff land that touches the Mississippi River. 

The lands along the Mississippi River south of 
Baton Rouge are alluvial, of which about one- third 
are in cultivation, the remainder being pasturage 
and woodland. The timber found here is principally 
cypress, gum, oak, and many small varieties of trees. 
The other portion, about nine-tenths, of the parish is 
calld the highlands or bluff, not subject to inundation 
by the Mississippi River. The forest growth is of great 
variety, comprising all kinds of oak, gum, magnolia, pop- 
lar and beech, interspersed with much undergrowth. The 
soil is as various as the forest growth, ranging from poor 
to very fertile; but under the energetic manipulation of 
the progressive farmer will yield a rich reward to the 
husbandman. 

Upon these lands all the staple crops are cultivated 
successfully, viz: cotton, cane, corn, potatoes, truck 
products, fruits, etc. The city of Baton Rouge affords 
an excellent distributing point for the products of the 
parish to the principal markets of New Orleans, St. 
Louis, Chicago and western cities. 

There are many small streams passing through and 
bordering on the parish, which afford sufficient drainage 



172 



to all its lands. They are the Amite, Comite, Manchac. 
Bayou Fountain, Ward's Creek, Montesano, White's 
Bayou, Redwood, Blackwater, Sandy Creek, and many 
other minor water courses. In these streams are to be 
founds many kinds of fish and water fowl. 

The health of East Baton Rouge parish has always been 
good, that of the city of Baton Rouge being 12 per 
1,000. The military post, formerly located at Baton 
Rouge, showed the best health record of any post in the 
Southwest. The thermometer rarely rises above 90 de- 
grees, or falls below 20 degrees F., and when either ex- 
treme is reached, it lasts but a few days. The leading 
nationalities of the world are represented in the popu- 
lation, the English, French and German languages being 
spoken principally. Educational facilities are very good. 
The State University and Agricultural and Mechanical 
College is located at Baton Rouge. There is also a 
Catholic convent for girls, a Catholic college for boys, 
and several other private schools. Public schools are in 
a progressive condition. In addition to this, there are 
two State institutions that deserve notice, viz.: the In- 
stitute for the Blind and the Institution for the Deaf 
and Dumb. The State Penitentiary is also located in 
Baton Rouge. The facilities for reaching market with 
manufactured and agricultural products are unsurpassed 
The parish lies for nearly forty miles upon the Missis- 
sippi River, affording daily communication with New 
Orleans and the western cities. The Texas and Pacific, 
Frisco, Southern Pacific and L. R. & N. Ry. give con- 
nections with all points to west and southwest. The 
Yazoo and Mississippi Valley, Frisco, Illinois Central, 



via the Baton Rouge, Hammond and Eastern, and the 
Louisiana Railway & Navigation Company give connec- 
tions to all points east of the Mississippi River. 

Since the advent of the boll weevil the agricultural 
conditions of the parish are changing rapidly. The rais- 
ing of cotton has not been abandoned, but carried on 
under intensified cultivation. Stock and diversified crops 
and dairying are proving very profitable. Figs and 
pecans are being extensively planted. Flowing artesian 
wells, with water 99 per cent pure, are numerous through- 
out the parish. Springs of valuable medicinal properties 
are located in this parish. This parish, with its won- 
derful agricultural resources, its parish seat being a port 
of entry and a railroad center, capital of the State, with 
the largest southern oil refinery for supplying oil for 
fuel for manufacturing its raw material, and the good 
roads campaign being waged, has the prospects of a 
very bright and prosperous future. 

EAST CARROLL PARISH. 

East Carroll is the extreme northeastern parish of 
Louisiana, bounded by the Mississippi River on the east 
and extending west to Bayou Mason, which divides it 
from the parish of West Carroll. The rich parish of 
Madison adjoins it on the south. It contains 238,436 acres 
of land, about 60,000 of which are open and in cultiva- 
tion and pasturage and the remainder in timber land. 
Other things than cotton are produced in East Carroll. 
Corn, hay, oats and fruits and vegetables of all kinds 
can be grown abundantly and most profitably. Rice 
is becoming one of the leading crops. Sweet and Irish 



173 



potatoes yield handsome profits and are marketed In 
time to admit of a crop of cotton being grown on the 
same land. Tomatoes, cabbages, peanuts, peas, beans, 
carrots, melons, strawberries, radishes, etc., etc., are also 
successfully grown. All kinds of fruits do well, but the 
best success has been made in apples, peaches, figs and 
persimmons. The pecan is indiginous. In the truck in- 
dustry yields of from $75 to $1,000 per acre have been 
made every year, and as the profit on truck is usually 35 
to 55 per cent., it can be seen that there is good monev 
in the business. Stock can be kept through the winter 
without scarcely any feeding. Cases are on record of 
stock being marketed at top prices which never received 
a mouthful of food other than that which grows wild. 
In fact, it has been demonstrated that here on the rich 
natural grasses can be produced larger and stronger 
horses in the same length of time than can be done on 
the famous Kentucky blue grass. 

In cattle, hogs, sheep and goats the improvement is 
marked. The time was «-'. i j n only the most common 
kinds of chickens, turkeys, ducke and geese could be 
found. Now, no matter which way one goes, there 
will be seen the best strains, and the best of their kind, 
on the farms and plantations, as well as in the homes 
of the townspeople. 

A stock ranch can be bought at from $5 to $7 per acre. 
A good farm with a portion of the land suited to live 
stock and the balance for cultivation can be bought at 
from $15 to $20 per acre. Of course, there are planta- 



tions which are worth several times the prices quoted — 
farms which have valuable improvements erected thereon 
and which are in a high state of cultivation. 

You will find good schools and churches all over the 
parish. And last, but not least, you will find a hospitable 
class of neighbors who will welcome you with open 
arms. 

The great Mississippi, the "Father of Waters," and 
the Memphis, Helena and Louisiana Railroad, a branch 
of the Gould system, afford easy and quick access to the 
markets of the world for all products and insure cheap 
competitive freight rates. 

Large portions of East Carroll are heavily timbered, 
much of it cypress, white, red and black oak, ash, white 
and red gum, sycamore, hickory, locust and Cottonwood 
are plentiful in the virgin state. The parish is also wed 
watered, there being many bayous and lakes. 

Fish and game abound in great quantities. Bass and 
other varieties of game fish furnish excellent sport for 
the angler, and the huntsman finds plenty of birds, ducks, 
geese, turkeys, squirrels, opossums, deer and bear. 

EAST FELICIANA PARISH. 

This parish is situated in the southeastern part of 
the State, and contains 298,240 acres of land. The forma- 
tion is good upland, bluff land and pine hills; the soil 
being very fertile and productive. It is drained by the 
Comite and Amite Rivers, Pretty Creek, Redwood, 
Thompson's, Beaver, Sandy and Black Creeks. The Yazoo 



174 





A LOUISIANA BAYOU, OVERHUNG WITH SPANISH MOSS AND SUR- 
ROUNDED BT PALMETTOES. 



Court House at Crowley. 



175 



and Mississippi Valley Railroad extends through the 
parish, having branch lines from Slaughter Station to 
W oodville, Miss., from Ethel Station to Clinton, the par- 
ish seat, and there is also a short private railroad 
line from McManus to Jackson, a pretty town of 
2,012 inhabitants, where the State Insane Asylum is 
located. The Louisiana Railway and Navigation Com- 
pany's line passes through the lower part of the par- 
ish at Port Hudson, on to Alexandria, Shreveport, etc. 
Water throughout the parish is abundant, and of ex- 
cellent quality. The chief crop product is cotton, while 
corn, oats, hay, peas, sweet and Irish potatoes, sorghum, 
sugar-cane, tobacco, and the garden varieties thrive ex- 
ceedingly well. The fruits and nuts are apples, pears, 
peaches, pecans, figs, plums, quinces, pomegranates, 
grapes and the smaller varieties. 

Game is plentiful, such as coons, opossums, foxes, 
rabbits, squirrels, beavers, mink, wild turkeys, wild 
ducks, woodcocks, partridges, jack snipe, robins and rice 
birds. Fish of good quality abound in the streams; trout, 
bass, bar fish, perch, and blue and speckled cat are 
found. The live stock industry is successfully conducted, 
and numbers of fine blooded cattle and horses are bred, 
while sheep and hogs thrive remarkably well. Since the 
advent of the boll weevil stock raising and dairying has 
been largely increased and corn, peanuts and other feed 
crops have about doubled the former yields. 

The timber is oak, beech, pine, gum, elm, poplar, 
hickory, magnolia, holly, cottonwood, willow, cypress, 
walnut and sycamore. 

Land Is worth from $3.00 to $20.00 per acre. 



FRANKLIN PARISH. 

Franklin parish is situated In the northeastern part 
of the State, and contains 392,960 acres of land. 

The formation is chiefly bluff land, with some alluvial 
land, wooded swamp, and a little of prairie. The soil 
is very fertile and productive. It is drained by Boeuf 
River, Bayou Macon, Turkey and Deer Creeks, and 
Turkey Lake. 

The New Orleans and Northwestern Railroad passes 
through the parish. 

Winnsborough, situated on Turkey Creek, is the 
parish seat. Water is plentiful and fairly good. Cotton 
is the chief crop for export; corn, oats, hay, sugar-cane 
sweet and Irish potatoes, peas and sorghum are produced. 
The fruits and nuts are peaches, pears, pecans, apples 
plums, quinces, grapes, figs and pomegranates. The tim- 
ber is oak, pine, gum, elm, beech, -holly, magnolia, hick- 
ory, poplar, cottonwood, willow, mulberry, maple, ash, 
and walnut. 

The live stock are cattle, hogs, sheep and horses, of 
which large numbers are raised. 

Game abounds, such as deer, bear, foxes, coons, 
opossums, beavers, mink, squirrels, rabbits, wild turkeys, 
wild ducks and geese, partridges, snipe, woodcock and 
rice birds. 

Varieties of fish abound in the streams and lakes, 
among which are trout, bass, white perch and pike. 

GRANT PARISH. 

This parish is situated near the center of the State, 
and contains 407.040 acres of land. The formation is pine 



176 




H. B.— 12 



RESIDENCE IN TERREBONNE PARISH. 
177 



hills, with some alluvial land bordering Red River. It 
is drained by Red and Little Rivers, Bayou Jatt, the 
Rigolet du Bon Dieu, and smaller streams. 

Colfax, on the Louisiana Railway and Navigation 
Company's line, is the parish seat. 

The chief product is cotton, while corn, oats, hay, 
sugar-cane, sweet and Irish potatoes', sorghum, tobacco, 
and peas are raised. The fruits and nuts are peaches, 
plums, apples, pears, pecans, grapes, figs, pomegranates 
and quinces. The timber is long-leaf pine, oak, gum, 
Cottonwood, willow, elm, hickory, and sycamore, with 
some magnolia and poplar. Live stock are raised, such 
as cattle, sheep, hogs and horses. 

Game is found, consisting of deer, foxes, coons', opos- 
sums, squirrels, rabbits, mink, wild turkeys, wild ducks, 
and geese, woodcock, partridges and rice birds. Fish 
are found in the streams and lakes, the choice varieties 
of which are trout, bass, pike and white perch. 

Deposits of marble, limestone, kaolin, marl, lignite, 
tire clay, potters' clay, iron, and gypsum exist. 

Lands are worth from $1.00 to $20.00 per acre. 

IBERIA PARISH. 

This parish is situated in the southern part of the 
State, and contains 426, SS0 acres. The formation is 
prairie, coast marsh, alluvial land, wooded swamp and 
bluff land; the soil being very rich and highly pro- 
ductive. It is drained by Bayous Teche, Petit Anse and 
Coulee du Portage. 

The Southern Pacific Railroad, with branch lines, ex- 
tends through the parish. New Iberia, situated on Bayou 



Teche, is the parish seat. Water is good, cistern water 
being chiefly used. 

The general crop production is sugar; rice, corn, 
oats, hay, peas, sweet and Irish potatoes, and garden 
varieties are all grown extensively, and are very profit- 
able. 

The fruits and nuts are the orange, lemon, mandarin, 
fig, pomegranate, guava, olive, plum, pear, pecan, grape, 
banana, peach and prune. The timber is composed of 
cypress, oak, gum, elm, cottonwood, willow, sugarwood 
and sycamore. 

Live stock raised are horses, cattle, sheep and hogs. 
Game exists, such as deer, coons, opossums, squirrels, 
rabbits, wild ducks, wild geese, woodcock, papabots, 
becasine, partridges, rice birds, snipe and pheasants. 
Fish abounds in the streams, lakes and inlets, among 
which are red fish, pompano, salt water trout, crabs, 
trout, bass and sacalait; oysters and terrapin are found 
in the brackish waters of the coast marsh. 

Lands are worth from $3.00 to $50.00 per acre. 

IBERVILLE PARISH. 

This parish is situated in the south central part of 
the State, and contains 413,440 acres of land. The 
formation is wooded swamp and alluvial land, the soil 
of which is extremely rich and productive. It is drained 
by the Mississippi River — which passes through the east- 
ern portion of the parish — and by Grand River, Bayou 
Goula, Plaquemine, Maringouin, Grosse Tete, Manchac. 
and numerous other streams. 



178 



The Texas and Pacific Railroad passes through the 
parish on the western bank of the Mississippi River, and 
the Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad through the 
eastern portion. Plaquemine, situated on the western 
bank of the Mississippi, on the main line of the Texas 
and Pacific Railroad, is the parish seat. It is a thrifty, 
progressive little city, of many industries. The famous 
Plaquemine Locks, at the mouth of Bayou Plaquemine, 
are located here; they were built by the United States 
Government, and it is one of the largest pieces of mason- 
ry ever constructed in this country. 

Water is plentiful and good, cistern water being 
chiefly used. Sugar is the chief crop production, and 
corn, hay, oats, rice, beans, sweet and Irish potatoes, and 
the garden varieties are extensively raised. The fruits 
and nuts are pears, peaches, figs, pomegranates, oranges, 
lemons, mandarins, plums, prunes, pecans and grapes. 
Live stock are cattle, sheep, hogs and horses. The game 
found are deer, bear, coons, opossums, mink, squirrels, 
rabbits, wild ducks and geese, snipe, becasine, partridges 
and rice birds. Fish are found in the streams, such as 
bass, pike, white perch and common varieties. Lands are 
worth from $3.00 to $50.00 per acre. 

JACKSON PARISH. 

This parish is situated in the north-central part ot 
the State, and contains 369, 2S0 acres of land. The forma- 
tion is good upland and pine hills, red sandy clays; soil 
generally good and fertile. It is drained by the tribu- 
taries of Dugdemona River and Bayou Castor. Water 
is abundant and good. 



The Arkansas Southern Railroad runs through the 
parish from north to south. 

Vernon, situated in the northern part of the parish, 
is the parish seat, with many springs, branches and 
creeks. 

Cotton is the chief crop produced for export; corn, 
hay, oats, sorghum, sweet and Irish potatoes, peas, sugar- 
cane, wheat, rye and barley are also raised. The fruits 
are peaches, apples, pears, quinces, plums, pomegranates, 
and grapes. Cattle, hogs, sheep, and horses are raised in 
great numbers. 

Game is found, such as deer, coons, opossums, squir- 
rels, rabbits, foxes, wild turkeys, partridges and wood- 
cock. Pish of good quality, of the smaller varieties, are 
found in streams. 

The timber consists of pine, oak, beech, hickory, 
walnut, elm and maple. Extensive areas of long-leaf 
pine are in this parish. 

Land are worth from $1.00 to $50.00 per acre. 

JEFFERSON PARISH. 

This parish is situated in the southeastern part of 
the State, and is divided by the Mississippi River, which 
passes its northern portion. It contains 3S5.920 acres, 
the formation being composed largely of coast marsh, 
while it has a large area of alluvial land and some 
wooded swamp. The soil is exceedingly rich and pro- 
ductive. It is drained by the Mississippi River, Lake 
Pontchartrain and Bayous Barataria, Rigolet, Des Fa- 
milies or Dauphine, St. Dennis, Dupont and Grand 
Bayou. 



179 



The Texas and Pacific, Southern Pacific, Gulf and 
Grand Isle, Illinois Central and Yazoo and Mississippi 
Valley Railroads pass through the parish. 

Gretna, situated on the Mississippi River, is the 
parish seat. Water is good, cistern water being chiefly 
used. 

Sugar is the principal crop produced, although rice, 
jute, corn, Irish potatoes, onions and garden truck of 
all kinds are extensively grown, and shipped to northern 
markets. 

The fruits and nuts are oranges, lemons, mandarins, 
figs, pomegranates, plums, prunes, pecans, guavas, olives, 
bananas and grapes. Some cattle and hogs are raised. 

Game is found, consisting of snipe, becasine, papa- 
bots, wild ducks and geese, and rice birds and coons, 
rabbits and opossums. 

The timber is limited to cypress, oak, elm and willow 

Fish abound, and the oyster industry of this parish 
is the most extensive, and superior, along the Gulf 
Coast. Terrapin, oysters, crabs, and the varieties of 
Gulf fish are taken in large number in the inlets, bayous 
and lakes. 

Land is worth from $1.00 to $50.00 per acre. 

LAFAYETTE PARISH. 

This parish is situated in the southern part of the 
State, and contains 152,960 acres of land, in area it 
being the third smallest parish in the State. Its forma- 
tion is chiefly prairie, with considerable alluvial and 
bluff land. The soil is very fertile and productive. It 



is drained by Bayous Carencro and Tortue and Vernillloi. 
Rivers. 

The Southern Pacific Railroad extends through th • 
parish, having a connecting line from Lafayette t.^ 
Cheneyville, in Rapides parish, and also a line to Baton 
Rouge. Lafayette, situated on the Southern Pacific 
Railroad, is the parish seat, and is the home of the 
Southwestern Industrial Institute. It is only a few 
miles from the Anse La Butte oil field, which lies almost 
on the line of Lafayette and St Martin parishes. 

Water is abundant, and of good quality. Rice and 
sugar are the chief productions, and corn, cotton, oats. 
sweet and Irish potatoes, peas and hay, are extensively 
raised; also alfalfa is meeting with some success. 

The fruits and nuts are the orange, pear, grape, plum, 
peach and. pecan. Cattle, sheep, hogs and horses are 
raised extensively. Game, such as snipe, becasine. plover, 
wild ducks, partridges, pheasants and rice birds, are 
found. Some fish are taken from the streams of the 
parish. The timber is oak, willow, Cottonwood, elm. 
some cypress, sugarwood. gum and sycamore. Lands 
are worth from $5.00 to $30.00 per pcre. Lafayette has a 
sugar refinery costing $350,000. Some larsre lumber com- 
panies, cotton seed oil mill, a compress and storage plant 
and other manufacturing interests are also flourishing 
there. 

LAFOURCHE PARISH. 

This parish Is situated in the southern part of th' 
State, and contains 655.260 acres of land. The form*, 
tion Is alluvial land, wooded swamp and coast marsh 



ISO 



Soil exceedingly rich and productive. It is drained by 
Bayous Lafourche, Des Allemands and Grand Bayou. 

The Southern Pacific Railroad passes through the 
northern portion of the parish, and the Texas and Pacific 
runs from Thibodaux north. Thibodaux, situated on 
Baynu Lafourche. Is the parish seat, and is a thrifty, 
progressive little city, with electric lights, waterworks, 
foundries, canning factory and many other industries. 
Water is good, cistern water being generally used. Sugar 
is tie chief product, and rice, corn, hay, oats, peas, jute, 
and garden truck are grown and shipped. 

The fruits and nuts are oranges, leomns, mandarins, 
plums, guavas, olives, figs, pears, grapes, peaches, pecans 
and bananas. The live stock raised here are mostly 
cattle and hogs. Game is found, such as snipe, becasine. 
wild ducks and geese, deer, rice birds, papabots, squir- 
rels, opossums, coons and rabbits. Fishing is very good 
and oysters, crabs, terrapin and the Gulf fish are found 
in waters of the coast marsh. The timber is cypress, 
oak. cnttonwnod, gum. elm and willow. Land is worth 
from $. r ..00 to 530.00 per acre. 

LINCOLN PARISH. 

This parish is situated in the northern part of the 
State, and contains 368,000 acres of land. The forma- 
tion Is good upland, red sandy clay, the soil being fer- 
tile and productive. It is drained by Bayou D'Arbonne 
and smaller streams. Many chalybeate springs, creeks 
and branches abound. 

The Vicksburg, Shreveport and Pacific Railroad 
passes through the parish, and a north and south line is 



| now building through the parish. Ruston, situated on 
this line, is the parish seat. It is a thriving, progressive 
little city. Here is situated the State Industrial Insti- 
tute for both sexes. Over 600 pupils now in attend- 
ance. Tuition free. Here is also located the Louisiana 




Main Building Louisiana Industrial lusu uie, 
at Ruston. 

Chautauqua. Ruston has a cotton compress, cotton oil 
mill, ice factory, fertilizer factory and electric light 
plant. This is one of the best hill or upland parishes 
in the State. Water is sufficient, and of good quality 
from cool springs and wells. 

The chief product is cotton: corn, oats, hay, peanuts, 
sorghum, grasses, wheat, sugar-cane, tobacco, sweet a>.d 



1S1 



Irish potatoes and peas being also extensively raised. The 
fruits and nuts are peaches, pears, plums, pecans, apples, 
quinces, grapes, and all do well. Cattle, hogs, sheep, 
horses and mules are raised on farms. 

Game is found, consisting of deer, coons, foxes, opos- 
sum, s squirrels, rabbits, wild turkeys, wild ducks, wood- 
cock, partridges and robins. Deposits of marl, potters' 
clay, fire clay and lignite are found. The timber is pine, 
oak, poplar, hickory, beech, maple, gum, elm, walnut 
and persimmon. 

Lands are worth from $2.00 to $20.00 per acre. 

LIVINGSTON PARISH. 

This parish is situated in the southeastern part ot 
the State, and contains 379,520 acres of land. The 
formation is bluff land, pine flats, alluvial land and 
wooded swamps; the soil being generally fertile and 
productive, some of which is exceedingly rich. It is 
drained by the Amite and Tickfaw Rivers and Colyell 
Creek, and their branches. Water is abundant and of 
good quality. Springfield, on the Tickfaw River, is the 
parish seat. 

Cotton is the chief crop product; corn, hay, oats, 
sorghum, sugar-cane, sweet and Irish potatoes, peas, 
tobacco, and rice are raised. The fruits and nuts are 
peaches, plums, pears, pecans, apples, grapes, figs, pome- 
granates and quinces. Cattle, sheep, hogs, and horses 
are raised. 

The timber is pine, oak, beech, magnolia, ash, holly, 
gum. hickory, poplar, persimmon and cypress. 



Game is abundant, such as deer, coons, opossums, 
squirrels, rabbits, wild turkeys, wild ducks, partridges, 
woodcocks and robins. Fish are found in the rivers and 
streams, such as trout, bass, channel catfish and perch. 

Lands are worth from $1.50 to $15.00 per acre. 

MADISON PARISH. 

Madison parish is situated in the northeast portion 
of the State, East Carroll being the intervening parish 
between it and the State of Arkansas. It is bounded 
on the north by East Carroll; on the south by Tensas; 
on the west by Franklin and Richland and on the east 
by the Mississippi River. Its western boundary is Bayou 
Macon, and its northern is the half township line of 
Township 18 North. The acreage of the parish is placed 
by the Assessor at 397,605 acres. There are in cultiva- 
76,480 acres and uncultivated 321,125 acres. The land 
is all alluvial, composed of loam and buckshot. It is 
fertile beyond belief, producing nearly all kinds of crops; 
especially cotton, rice, corn and truck. The principal 
streams are the Tensas River, Bayou Macon, Roundaway 
and its connections known as Walnut and Brushy, Wil- 
low Bayou, Little Tensas, Bayou Vidal, etc. Its lakes 
are Bear Lake, One Eagle Lake, Grassy Lake, Swan 
Lake, etc. There are two railways which run severally 
east and west and north and south, to-wit: the Vicks- 
burg, Shreveport and Pacific Railway and the Memphis, 
Helena and Louisiana Railroad, the latter being the 
north and south road, connecting with all points north 
and south. These roads run through the center of the 
parish, and through the parish seat, Tallulah. There is 



182 



only one incorporated municipality in the parish, the vil- 
lage of Tallulah. The population of Tallulah is about 1000. 
Within its limits there is a hoop and stave factory, a 
cotton oil mill and an ice plant, besides a public ginnery. 
There is one bank. There are two churches for whites — 
the M. E. C. S. and the Episcopal. Several negro churches 
of the Methodist and Baptist faiths. There is one high 
school building in Tallulah, besides lesser school build- 
ings in the parish. Efforts are now in progress to 
erect a fine high school building at Tallulah. Nearly 
all kinds of crops can be grown, including fruits of all 
varieties and pecans. Attention has been given since 
the advent of the boll weevil to raising stock of all 
kinds, including hogs, etc., and this departure has become 
almost universal. The fish abound of all varieties in our 
lakes, and Bear Lake is a noted resort for the sport, 
where a club house is located. The timber lands are 
very valuable and little of it has been cut. This consists 
of all varieties of oak, pecan, willow, Cottonwood, gum, 
hackberry, elm, some cypress, but no pine. The game 
is also quite plentiful, consisting of deer, bear, squirrel, 
wild cats, opossums. The price of land varies according 
to its location near lines of communication. The im- 
proved lands are held from $40 to $25, while the timber 
land ranges from $6 to $15 per acre. 

There are two other villages, Mlllikens Bend and 
Delta, both unincorporated, with a population of from 
400 to 500 each. 



MOREHOUSE PARISH. 

This parish is situated in the northeastern part of 
the State, and contains 4S6.400 acres of land. 

The formation is alluvial land, good upland and 
wooded swamp; soil rich and productive. It is drained 
by the Ouachita and Boeuf Rivers, and Bayous Bonne 
Idee, Bartholomew and Gallion. Water is abundant and 
of good quality. The Vicksburg, Shreveport and Pacific 
Railroad passes through the extreme southern point; the 
Iron Mountain Railroad passes through the parish, north 
and south, while the New Orleans and Northwestern 
Railroad passes through from southeast to northwest. 

Bastrop is the parish seat, located on the uplands. 
Cotton is the principal crop production for export; corn, 
oats, hay, tobacco, sweet and Irish potatoes, peas, sorg- 
hum and sugar-cane are also raised. The fruits and 
nuts are peaches, pears, pecans, apples, plums, quinces, 
and grapes. The timber is oak, pine, Cottonwood, gum, 
elm, cypress, poplar, hickory, holly, beech, magnolia, wil- 
low and persimmon. Live stock, such as cattle, hogs, 
sheep and some horses are raised. 

Game is found, consisting of deer, coons, foxes, opos- 
sums, squirrels, rabbits, wild turkeys, wild ducks, wood- 
cock, snipe, robins, partridges and rice birds. Fish of 
good quality are found in the streams. 

There are several thousand acres of United States 
Government land in the parish. Lands are worth from 
$2.00 to $20.00 per acre. 



183 



NATCHITOCHES PARISH. 

Natchitoches parish is situated in the west-central 
part of the State, and contains 825,600 acres of land. 
The formation is alluvial land, good upland and pine 
flats; soil generally good, and very productive. It is 
drained by Red and Cane Rivers, and Bayous Saline. 
Pierre and Natchez and the Rigolet Du Bon Dieu. Water 
is abundant, and of good quality. 

The main line of the Texas and Pacific Railroad 
runs through the parish, with branch line to the Red 
River through the town of Natchitoches; this town is 
also the terminus of the Louisiana and Northwestern 
Railroad, and has a branch line of the Louisiana Rail- 
way and Navigation Company. It is the parish seat 
and a thrifty, progressive town. Here is located the 
State Normal School, with over 700 students. 

Cotton is the chief crop raised for export, while corn, 
oats, tobacco, hay, peas, sorghum, sugar-cane and sweet 
and Irish potatoes are produced. The Natchitoches to- 
bacco enjoys a world-wide reputation. 

The fruits are peaches, pears, apples, plums, quinces, 
pomegranates, figs and grapes. The timber is pine, oak, 
gum, Cottonwood, elm, willow, cypress, holly, magnolia, 
hickory, walnut, poplar, maple, and persimmon. Cattle, 
sheep, hogs and horses are raised. 

Game, such as deer, coons, foxes, opossums, rabbits, 
squirrels, wild turkeys and ducks, woodcock, partridges 
and rice birds, is found. Fish of good quality are found 
in the streams. Deposits of lignite, marl, marble, lime- 



stone, kaolin, Iron, fire clay and potters' clay exist. 
Truffles are also found in this parish. 

Land is worth from $2.00 to $25.00 per acre. 

ORLEANS PARISH. 

This parish is situated in the southeastern part of 
the State, and contains 127,360 acres; it being the small- 
est parish in area in the State. The formation is alluvial 
land, coast marshes and wooded swamp. It is drained 
by the Mississippi River, Lakes Pontchartrain and 
Borgne, and Bayous St. John and Gentilly. Most of 
the railroads of the State converge here in the City 
of New Orleans, which is the parish seat. 

The chief crops grown are garden truck, an immense 
industry; and corn, sugar-cane, rice, jute, sweet and Irish 
potatoes are raised. The fruits are the orange, lemon 
mandarin, olive, prune, grape, fig, pomegranate, pear, 
peach, and the smaller varieties. The timber is cypress, 
oak, gum, elm, hackberry, Cottonwood and willow. Some 
cattle, hogs and horses are raised here. Very little game 
is found, though fishing is very good in the lakes and 
brackish waters, where oysters, crabs, terrapin, and the 
varieties of Gulf fish are taken. 

The city of New Orleans and the parish of Orleans 
are practically one and the same thing, as the city now 
embraces within its limits all of the parish. 

OUACHITA PARISH. 

Ouachita is in the second tier of parishes from the 
Arkansas line. It has about 398,720 acres of land. As 



184 








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per the tax roll of 1909, only some seventy odd thousand 
of these acres were in actual cultivation that year. 

One of the most beautiful rivers, flowing southward, 
some quarter of a mile wide, now navigable some nine 
months of the year, divides the parish, bears the name, 
and amply justifies its Indian meaning — "Silver-Water." 
The Ouachita practically never overflows within the par- 




Court House and Annex at Monroe. 

ish. The east side is lev^l and alluvial, with a forma- 
tion of rich, sandy loams, containing heavy growths of 
hardwood timber of the finest quality and great variety. 
The west side, heavily timbered with pine, and also 
hardwoods, consists of "second-bottoms," and so-called 
"hill lands," generally sandy loams, with heavy clay 



foundations, productive, and very fertile in the valleys 
along the numerous streams. 

Prices of land range from "nominal" to averages of 
$5 to $25 per acre for "unimproved" and "improved," 
according to quality, location, etc. 

Numerous artesian wells, with abundant limpid 
waters, flow here as freely as do the multitudinous nat- 




Postoffice at Monroe. 



•the 



ural streams, great and small, that are tributary to 
Ouachita." 

Ouachita's principal towns are Monroe, the second 
oldest town in the State, and West Monroe, practically 
one, only the river divided them, but separately incor- 
porated. Together they constitute a growing, flourish- 



1S6 



ing and progressive modern city. The other towns of 
the parish are comparatively small — Calhoun, some fif- 
teen miles west, and the seat of the North Louisiana 
Experiment Station, being the next largest. Cheniere, 
Cadeville, Okaloosa, Lapine, Chapman and Drew are 
also west of the river, and Sterlington, Swartz, Sicard, 
Millhaven, Logtown and Bosco are east of the river All 
are growing, and the country around them is developing. 

Large capital is invested in cotton seed oil mills. 
Numerous sawmills, stave factories, shingle factories, etc., 
etc., work the wonderful growths of timber — oal., pine, 
cypress, hickory, ash, gum, etc. The best of brick are 
made by most modern methods, and concrete is large'y 
used, made from the best of gravels and sands, locally 
obtained. 

Four large, strong banks in Monroe and one in West 
Monroe are all prosperous and growing. Many churches 
of all the usual Protestant denominations abound, and 
there is a large catholic church and a large synagogue in 
Monroe. The school system in the parish is of the best. 

Practically all kinds of crops and live stock produced 
on the North American continent can be successfully 
grown or raised here. It is an excellent fruit country, 
and the very land of the pecan and other nut-bearing 
trees. The walnut grows wild — the hickory abundant. 
Figs of the finest never fail. Stock-raising is of great 
and growing importance. Game and fish are plentiful. 

This is, pre-eminently, a land of agriculture, and its 
great partners, live stock and poultry, fruits, nuts and 
vines. It is a great grass and hay land, and more and 
more attention is being given to "meadows." 



Concrete culverts, constructed from the pure sand 
gravels of the local deposit, are replacing all small 
bridges, and even some quite large ones, along the roads. 

An $8S,000 traffic bridge and a $200,000 railroad bridge 
span the Ouachita between Monroe and West Monroe. 

Louisiana leads all the States in variety of food 
products, being unique in her combination of sugar, 
molasses, rice and tropical fruits; also in the amount 
produced per acre of the world's clothing maker — cotton. 
Also in the combination of variety, quality and quantity 
of standing timber; also in extent of navigable water- 
ways. She leads the world in deposits of natural gas, 
oil, salt and sulphur. She feeds, clothes, houses, lights 
and fuels, salts and fumigates "the children of men." 

Of these things, "Ouachita" does her full quota. 

PLAQUEMINES PARISH. 

This parish is situated in the southeastern part of 
the State, and is divided by the Mississippi River, which 
passes through it. The formation is alluvial land and 
coast marsh; the soil being exceedingly rich and pro- 
ductive. 

It is drained by the Mississippi River and Bayous 
Cheniere, Wilkinson, Long, Terre au Bouef, Vacherie, 
Dupont and Grand Bayou. The Grand Isle and Gulf 
Railroad passes down the western coast of the Missis- 
sippi, and the Mississippi, Terre au Boeuf and Lake 
Road down the eastern coast 

Pointe-a-la-Hache. situated on the Mississippi River, 
is the parish seat Cifern water is mostly used. The 



187 



chief crop productions are sugar and rice; corn, Jute 
and truck varieties are grown and shipped extensively. 




A Group of Oyster Shuckers. 

Fruits are oranges, lemons, mandarins, olives, figs, 
bananas, guavas, grapes and prunes. The finest orange 
groves and lands in the State are here. 

Timber is cypress, willow, elm, oak, and eottonwood. 

Some cattle ir raised, and a few hogs. 

Game is becasine, snipe, rice birds, wild ducks, geesi' 
and swan, papabots, coon and opossums. 

Fishing is excellent, and crab, she^pshead. y-mpano. 
red fish, flounder, salt water trout. Spanish mackerel. 



oysters, terrapin and shrimp abound. The oyster Industry 
is quite extensive in this parish. 

Land is worth from $1.00 to $100.00 per acre. 

POINTE COUPEE PARISH. 

Pointe Coupee parish is situated on the west bank 
of the Mississippi River, about 22 miles above Baton 
Rouge. It has an area of 368,000 acres, all of alluvial 
soi! exceedingly fertile. The parish is especially favored 
by nature, as it has numerous bayous across and dividing 




A Country Huim in Louisiana. 

the 1. nd into farms of handsome proportions, the bayous 
affording cheap, efficient and practical drainage. 



188 



The public roads (325 miles In length) which traverse 
the parish are all in splendid condition, they having a 
natural drainage, thus keeping them In fine condition. 
False River, once a branch of the Mississippi, is now a 
beautiful lake, one mile wide by twenty-four miles long. 
As a fishing ground it is surpassed by no stream. It 
abounds with black bass, sacalait or crappie, perch, 
catfish, spoonbill catfish, Gaspergou, buffalo and numer- 
ous other species of the finny tribe. 

The lands of Pointe Coupee, exceedingly fertile, can 
produce all of the various crops possible in the Southern 
States, such as corn, cotton, cane, peanuts, peas, alfalfa, 
flax, Irish and sweet potatoes. Cabbage, truck, onions, 
etc.. can be raised in abundance. 

Another very easy and handsomely paying crop is 
that of the pecan tree, which thrives splendidly In this 
parish. These trees can be found on every farm. The 
crop is seldom a failure and always finds a ready mar- 
ket. Several thousands of sacks are shipped annually 
to New Orleans, St. Louis and Chicago markets. Wood 
is to be found in abundance, the varieties mainly con- 
sisting of cypress, oak, persimmon, ash, and gum. Pointe 
Coupee is belted with two parallel lines of the Texa3 
and Pacific Railroad, and its western section by the 
Frisco system, and which has just completed a.n exten- 
sion to Lakeland, in the southwestern portion of the 
parish. 

Taxation is reasonable and consistent with the needs 
of the development and management of the parish. 
There are several towns — New Roads, Morganza, Tor- 



ras — and others are In course of establishment along the 
Frisco system. 

New Roads, the parish seat, has two banks, and 
among its industries are several cotton gins, cotton oil 
mills, sugar mills, an ice plant, a brick-making plant. 
saw mills and room for many more. 

Nearly all religious denominations are represented in 
the parish. Among the churches are Catholic, Episco- 
palian, Methodist, Baptist and Presbyterian, and all show 
the liberal and progressive spirit which exists. In no 
section of the State is the cause of education more as- 
siduously fostered than in Pointe Coupee; its schools 
flourish all over the parish, there being a schoolhouse 
within reach of every inhabitant. The public schools 
of the parish last year received from the parish and 
State the sum of $35,000 to be used only for their gen- 
eral management. There are also several private and 
religious educational institutions. In New Roads is lo- 
cated the famous Poydras Academy, endowed by the 
great philanthropist, Julien Poydras, and which is open 
to every child in the parish, the tuition being absolutely 
free. The higher academic branches are taught in this 
institution. It is under the supervision of a Board of 
Trustees, appointed annually by the Police Jury. 

The climate of Pointe Coupee compares favorably 
with that of any other section of the State. No ex- 
cessive heat, the temperature rarely going above 93. The 
best proof of the mildness of the climate is to be found 
in the fact that thousands of cows, hogs, horses, sheep 
and goats are raised and kept vithout shelter the year 



189 



'round, grazing on a perpetual supply of natural pas- 
turage. Cattle-raising can be made the source of a 
profitable income. Poultry of all kinds are raised in 
abundance and thrive to the fullest extent. Fresh eggs 
can be had every day of the year on any farm in the 
parish. 

Lands can be purchased at prices ranging from 
$15 to $35 an acre. 

RAPIDES PARISH. 

Rapides is the central parish of the State, and con- 
tains 975,440 acres of land. The formation is pine flats 
and alluvial land, with some bluff land and prairie. In 
the alluvial, bluff and prairie sections the soil is very 
fertile and productive, the chocolate formation being 
very rich. It is drained by Red and Calcasieu Rivers, 
and Bayous Saline, Rapides, Boeuf, Flacon and Co- 
codrie. 

The Texas and Pacific, the Kansas City, Watkins 
and Gulf, the Louisiana Railway and Navigation Com- 
pany, the Iron Mountain and the Southern Pacific Rail- 
roads pass through the parish, all centering at Alexan- 
dria, which is the parish seat. 

Cotton and sugar are the chief crop productions for 
export; corn, oats, hay, peas, sweet and Irish potatoes, 
rice, tobacco, and garden truck are produced. The fruits 
and nuts are peaches, pears, plums, pecans, figs, pome- 
granates, grapes, apples, and the smaller varieties. The 
wild mayliaw grows abundantly throughout the parish; 
this fruit has no superior for jellying purposes. The 
timber is pine. oak. cypress. Cottonwood, hickory. willo.\. 



locust, sycamore and gum; large areas of long- leaf pine. 

Cattle, sheep, hogs and horses are raised. Game is 
found, consisting of squirrels, rabbits, coons, opossums, 
foxes, deer, wild turkeys, wild ducks, snipe, woodcock, 
partridges and rice birds. Fishing is good in the streams. 

Land is worth from $3.00 to $50.00 per acre. 

RED RIVER PARISH. 

This parish is situated in the northwestern part of 
the State, and contains 256,000 acres of land. The forma- 
tion is good upland and alluvial land, the soil being rich 
and productive. It is drained by Red River and Grand 
and Blacklake Bayous. Water is plentiful and generally 
good. 

The Louisiana Railway and Navigation Company's 
line traverses the parish along the east bank of Red 
River. Coushatta, situated on the Red River, is the 
parish seat, 

Cotton is the chief product; sugar-cane and alfalfa, 
corn, oats, hay, peas, sweet and Irish potatoes, and the 
garden varieties all yield good returns. The fruits and 
nuts are peaches, pears, pecans, plums, apples, pome- 
granates, grapes, quinces and figs. The timber is oak, 
pine, cypress, gum, elm, beech, maple, holly, Cottonwood, 
sycamore, poplar, hickory, willow and persimmon. 

The live stock raised are cattle, hogs and sheep. Game 
is abundant, such as squirrels, coons, opossums, rabbits, 
deer, wild turkeys, partridges, robins, wild ducks and 
woodcock. Fish are found in the streams, among which 
are the trout, bass, pike and bar fish. 

Lands are worth from $2.00 to $40.00 per acre. 



190 



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RAPIDES COURTHOUSE, AT ALEXANDRIA, LA. 

191 



RICHLAND PARISH. 

This parish is situated in the northeastern part of 
the State, and contains 369,920 acres of land. The forma- 
tion is bluff land, alluvial land, and a little wooded 
swamp; soil fertile and productive. It is drained by 
Boeuf River and Bayous Macon, Lafourche and Big 
Creek. Water is abundant and generally good. 

The Vicksburg, Shreveport and Pacific, and the New 
i ui.ans and Northwestern Railroads pass through the 
parish. Rayville, situated on these lines of railroad, is 
the parish seat. 

Cotton is the chief crop produced for export; corn, 
oats, hay, sorghum, peas, sweet and Irish potatoes and 
gardtn varieties are grown. The fruits and nuts are 
peaches, apples, pears, pecans, plums, grapes, figs, pome- 
granates and quinces. 

Live stock raised are mostly cattle and hogs. Game 
is found, consisting of deer, bear, coons, opossums, rab- 
bits, squirrels, wild turkeys, wild ducks, partridges, rice 
birds, woodcock, and snipe. Fish of good quality are 
abundant in the streams and lakes. 

The timber is oak, gum, cypress, Cottonwood, willow, 
hickory poplar and persimmon. 

Lands are worth from $2.00 to $25.00 per acre. 

SABINE PARISH. 

Sabine parish includes 1029 square miles of territory 
lying in the middle of the western border of the State, 
undulating hammock, hill and valley lands, watered by 
six creeks which rise near its eastern border on the 



divide between the Red and Sabine Rivers and How 
swiftly in deep channels southwestwardly to the Sabine 
River, its western boundary. 

Soils — In the highlands the surface is usually red 
clay containing sand; in the hammocks and bottoms a 
rich sandy loam. Some spots are deep sand. Almost 
the whole is susceptible of cultivation, and is free and 
productive. Ninety thousand acres are cleared for farm- 
ing, of which 171 acres are devoted to truck farming. 

Timbers — There are 151,432 acres of "virgin pine" 
land, 164,737 of "denuded pine" land, 200,219 of ••virgin 
hardwood" land, 568 of "denuded hardwood" land, ami 
210 of timbered land of other description. The forest 
consists of the various species of oaks common to tbc 
South, short-leaf and long-leaf pine, hickory, dogwood, 
ash, elm, beech, maple, magnolia, black gum, sweet 
gum, etc. 

Minerals — There are many indications of oil, asphal- 
tum and lignite and some of gold, ochre, iron and other 
minerals. Much of the land is under lease to oil com- 
panies. 

Price of Land, Wages, etc. — The price of country lands 
ranges from $5 to $25, according to quality, location and 
other conditions. Wages for farm hands average about 
$1 per day and $15 per month with board and lodging. 

Climate and Water — The climate is salubrious owing 
to mild temperatures, summer and winter, and the rarity 
of stagnant water. Good freestone water can be had 
generally by the sinking of wells. 



192 




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Industries — Probably three-fourths of the inhabitants 
are engaged in agriculture; others in saw mill work, in 
stave-making, or tie-making. 

Farm Products — Cotton, corn, sugar-cane, sorghum, 
peanuts, peas and potatoes, both Irish and sweet, are 
the chief products. Cattle, hogs, sheep, horses and mules 
thrive and are cheaply raised on wild clover, Bermuda 
and other nutritious grasses on the open range. Figs, 
plums, dewberries and blackberries, besides garden vege- 
tables usual to latitude 32, east of this, do well. Straw- 
berries, grapes, peaches, pears and apricots are remun- 
erative if given proper attention. Hickory nuts, walnuts, 
pecans and chinquepins grow spontaneously. 

Population — The population consists of natives, set- 
tlers from other parts of the Union and from foreign 
countries. Of the last, Belgians predominate. Of na- 
tives, 10 per cent are of Spanish extraction. About one- 
fifth of the whole are negroes. 

Religion — Of religious denominations Missionary Bap- 
tists and Methodists are most numerous and nearly equal 
in numbers. There are a goodly number of Catholics. 
They are usually of Belgian or Spanish descent. 

Schools — The public schools, numbering 104, are in a 
flourishing condition. The average term is six months, 
and the average salary of white teachers is $60. For 
school purposes during the past year $60,000 has been 
expended. 

Society — The population is composed of "common 
people" who work for a living. They are generally 



moral and law-abiding. There is no plutocracy nor aris- 
tocracy. 

Commercial Facilities — The Kansas City Southern 
Railway bisects the parish from north to south, and the 
Texas and Pacific traverses the northeastern section. 
Upon the former are located Ayres, Florien, Fisher, 
Many (parish seat), Loring, Zwolle, Noble and Con- 
verse, and on the latter Pleasant Hill, or Sodus Station, 
all of which have saw mills except Florien. The em- 
ployees of these receive wages ranging from $1.50 to 
$7.50 per day, which they spend freely for farm produce. 
Many, Noble, Pleasant Hill and Zwolle have banks. 

ST. BERNARD PARISH. 

This parish is situated in the extreme southeastern 
part of the State, and contains 435,205 acres. The forma- 
tion is coast marsh and alluvial land. It is drained by 
the Mississippi River, Lake Borgne, and Bayous Terre 
au Boeuf, Loutre and Biloxi, and also Lake Borgne 
Canal. 

The Mississippi, Terre au Boeuf and Lake Railroad, 
having a line extending to Shell Beach, on Lake Borgne, 
passes through the parish. St. Bernard, situated on the 
Mississippi River, is the parish seat. The parish adjoins 
Orleans. 

Sugar is the chief crop product; but rice, jute and 
the garden and truck varieties are extensively raised 
and shipped. Sea Island cotton also does well. The 
fruits and nuts are oranges, lemons, mandarins, figs, 
pecans, bananas, grapes, guavas, olives and prunes. 
Some few cattle and hogs are raised here. Game con- 



194 



sists of becasine, snipe, rice birds, papabots, wild ducks, 
coons, opossums, squirrels, rabbits and deer. Fish of 
fine quality are plentiful; oysters, crabs and terrapin 
are also found. The timber is oak, cypress, willow, elm, 
pine and gum. 

The settlement of this parish commenced with the 
hardy pioneers who came with De Bienville when he 
removed the seat of government from Mobile to New 
Orleans. Plantations of indigo and later on sugar-cane 
were introduced and to two citizens of the parish, 
Mendes and Solis, must be given the credit of having 
first planted sugar-cane in the State, and to another, Mr. 
Coiron, the distinction of first cultivating ribbon cane. 
Judge Gayarre says that Mr. Btienne de Bore bor- 
rowed from Mendes and Solis the cane from which 1>: 
succeeded in making sugar of satisfactory quality. The 
parish has still another claim to fame; it was on her 
Plains of Chalmette that the battle of New Orleans was 
fought and won; it was in the then "Palace of Ver- 
sailles," a beautiful home in all its glory of fine Italian 
marble, that General Packenham had his headquarters. 
It was under four oaks of St. Bernard, back of the 
Mercier place, that the English General, from his horse, 
directed the battle, and thence, desperately wounded, 
was taken back to the "Palace" (from whose floors trees 
now spring) and then on down to the Villere home, 
near which, under a pecan tree, the heart and entrails 
of the General were buried. The lower part of this old 
house still stands in fair preservation, one hundred and 
seventy-five years old. 



ST. CHARLES PARISH. 

St. Charles parish, incorporated March 31, 1S07, is In 
the southeastern part of Louisiana, and has an area of 
251,520 acres. It is bounded on the north by Lake Pont- 
chartrain and the Parish of St. John the Baptist, south 
by Lafourche parish and Lake Salvador, east by Lake 
Salvador and Jefferson parish, west by the Parishes 
of Lafourche and St. John the Baptist and Lake Des 
Allemands. The population is approximately 15,000, of 
which about 9,000 are negroes and 500 Italians. 

The number of acres in cultivation and outlying is 
28,000; about 23,000 in cultivation, and nearly 5,000 lying 
out and not in cultivation. The land consists of a rich 
alluvial soil, having much organic matter and being ex- 
ceptionally fertile. The drainage takes place from nat- 
ural causes, water running from the bluff on each side 
of the Mississippi River, to bayous and swamps in the 
rear. With the exception of these bluffs, the land is 
practically level, and the drainage is hastened by ditches. 

The Mississippi River runs through the parish. There 
are numerous small bayous, the most important being 
Bayou Des Allemands and Bayou La Branche. Lake 
Pontchartrain, Lake Salvador and Lake Des Allemands 
all border on the parish. 

There are six railroads running through the parish. 
The Texas & Pacific Railroad and the Morgan's Louisiana 
& Texas Railroad, on the west side of the river, and the 
Yazoo & Mississippi Valley Railroad, the Louisiana 
Railway & Navigation Company, the Frisco Lines and 
the Illinois Central Railroad, on the east side of the 



195 



river. The Yazoo & Mississippi Valley Railroad and the 
Texas & Pacific Railroad both run alon? the river. 

In the parish are nine sugar-houses, and there is a 
large sawmill at Taft, which saws cypress timber. 

The reclamation ot swamp lands is beginning to be 
done on a large scale, and several thousand acres have 
already been reclaimed at La Branche and at Paradis. 
Reclaimed land has been sold for $135 per acre, as it 
produces excellent crops of all kinds. 

The seining and shipping of fish at Des Allemands 
has grown into an important industry. The buffalo fish 
is caught and packed into barrels for shipment to north- 
ern packeries. Large quantities of minks, raccoons and 
musk-rats are caught yearly during the trapping season 
and large quantities of game are killed. 

There are two Catholic churches in the parish, one 
on each side of the river. St. Charles has made impor- 
tant strides along educational lines within the past 
decade, having built schoolhouses in each of the five 
wards. 

Sugar cane, rice, corn, all kinds of vegetables and 
some tropical fruits are produced. The principal crops 
are sugar and rice, the production of which for the year 
1909 was: sugar, 21,573 barrels; molasses, 5,342 barrels; 
rice. 46,535 sacks. Large quantities of corn are also 
produced. 

The raising of vegetables at St. Rose, where unusu- 
ally large cabbages are produced and shipped to north- 
ern markets in refrigerator cars, is an important fea- 
ture, and vegetables can be successfully raised during 



the entire year. Little attention is given to planting 
fruit trees, and cattle- raising is not given the attention 
it deserves. Farmers are beginning to raise hogs more 
abundantly. Cattle find good grazing nine months a 
year, and poullry-raising can be carried on successfully 
throughout the year. Almost every kind of game is in 
the woods, almost every species of fish in the river, 
lakes, and bayous. 

The rainfall is abundant. The dirt roads are as good 
as any other roads of a similar character. 

The price of improved land ranges from $35 to $150 
per acre, according to the quality of the soil and the 
location. Unimproved land can be bought at $10 to $75 
per acre. There are about 200,000 acres of marsh lands 
in the parish that can be reclaimed and put under culti- 
vation. These reclaimed lands are the richest in the 
world. 

ST. HELENA PARISH. 

This parish is situated in the southeastern part of 
the State, and contains 264,320 acres of land. The 
formation is pine hills, flats and bluff land; soil fer- 
tile and productive. It is drained by the Amite and 
Tickfaw Rivers and their branches. Water is abundant 
and of good quality. 

A logging steam tramroad connects Greensburg, the 
parish seat, with the main line of the Illinois Central 
Railroad. 

Cotton is the chief crop production; corn, oats, hay. 
peas, sweet and Irish potatoes, sorghum, tobacco and 
sugar-cane are raised. The fruits and nuts are pears, 



196 




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197 



grapes, plums, pecans, apples, peaches, quinces and the 
smaller varieties. Live stock are cattle, sheep, hogs and 
horses. 

The timber is pine, oak, beech, magnolia, holly, gum, 
hickory, poplar and persimmon. Long-leaf pine is ex- 
tensive. Game is found, such as deer, coons, opossums, 
foxes, squirrels, rabbits, wild turkeys, wild ducks, part- 
ridges, woodcock and robins. Fish are found in the 
rivers and other streams, the Tickfaw being noted for 
its fine quality and quantity of trout. 

Lands are worth from $1.50 to $15.00 per acre. 

ST. JAMES PARISH. 

This parish is situated in the southeastern part of 
the State, and is divided by the Mississsippi River. It 
contains 219.520 acres of land, the soil being very fer- 
tile and productive. The formation is alluvial land, 
wooded swamp, and a little coast marsh. It is drained 
by the Mississippi River, Bayou Des Acadiens, nnd 
several small bayous. Water is plentiful and good. 

The T. & M. V., L. R. & N., Frisco and Texas and 
Pacific Railroads pass through the parish. Convent, 
situated on the east bank of the Mississippi River, is 
the parish seat. Sugar is the chief crop product; rice, 
corn, tobacco, hay, oats, beans and sweet and Irish pota- 
toes arc raised. The famous Perique tobacco is almost 
exculsively raised in this parish. Figs, oranges, lemons, 
mandarins, guavas, plums, peaches, pears, pecans, grapes 
and pomegranates are grown. 

Game consists of becasine, snipe, rice birds, squir- 
rels, coons, opossums, rabbits, and some few deer and 



bear. Fish are found in the bayous and lagoons, of good 
quality, amnog them bass and pike. 

The timber is cypress, oak, gum, elm, willow and 
Cottonwood. Lands are worth from $10.00 to $40.00 per 
aore. 

ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH. 

This parish is situated in the southeastern part of 
the State, and is divided by the Mississippi River. It 
contains 147,200 acres, and the formation is alluvial 
land, wooded swamp and coast marsh. The soil is 
rich and productive. It is drained by the Mississippi 
River and Lakes Pontchartrain, Maurepas and Des Alle- 
mands. Water is abundant and fairly good. 

The Tazoo and Mississippi Valley, the Illinois Cen- 
tral, L. R. & N., Frisco and the Texas and Pacific Rail- 
roads extend through the parish. Edgard, situated on 
the west bank of the Mississippi River, is the parish seat. 

Sugar is the chief product; rice, oats, corn, hay, 
sweet and Irish potatoes, peas and jute are also pro- 
duced. Oranges, figs, grapes, plums, pecans, guavas and 
pomegranates are grown. Some few cattle and hogs are 
raised. 

Game consists of squirrels, coons, opossums, rabbits, 
wild ducks, becasine, snipe and rice birds; some few 
deer and bear are found. Fish, of good quality, abound 
in the lakes and bayous. 

The timber is cypress, oak, gum, elm, cottonwood, 
and willow. Land is worth from $10.00 to $40.00 per 
acre. 



198 



ST. LANDRY PARISH. 

St. Landry is situated in the south-central part of 
the State, and contains 1,077,120 acres of land. The 
formation is prairie, alluvial land, pine fiats, wooded 
swamp, and bluff land. The soil is very fertile and 
productive. It is drained by the Atchafalaya River, and 
Bayous Rouge, Courtableu, Teche, Boeuf, Cocodrie, and 
Xezpique. Water is plentiful and of good quality. 

The Texas and Pacific Railroad passes through the 
northeastern portion, and the branch road of the South- 
ern Pacific, extending from Lafayette to Cheneyville, 
runs through the parish. Opelousas, situated on Belle- 
vue Bayou, is the parish seat. 

Cotton, rice and sugar are the chief crops produced 
for export; and corn, oats, hay, sweet and Irish potatoes, 
beans, sorghum, and the garden varieties and truck are 
extensively raised. The fruits are peaches, pears, plums, 
apples, grapes, quinces, figs, pomegranates, persimmons 
and the smaller varieties. 

Live stock is extensively raised; sheep, cattle, horses, 
and hogs, all do remarkably well here and are a very 
profitable investment. Game is found, consisting of 
squirrels, opossums, rabbits, beavers, deer, wild turkeys, 
wild ducks and geese, woodcocks, becasine, partridges, 
pheasants, snipe and rice birds. Fish abound in the 
streams, such as bass, trout and pike. The timber em- 
braces pine, oak, beech, magnolia, holly, gum, elm, per- 
simmon, hickory, pecan, walnut, willow and sycamore. 

Lands are worth from $2.50 to $30.00 per acre. 



ST. MARTIN PARISH. 

This parish is situated in the southern part of the 
State, and contains S9."-,520 acres. The formation is 
wooded swamp, prairie alluvial land, and a small area 
of bluff land; soil fertile and productive. It is drained 
by the Atchafalaya River, Bayous Teche, Tortue, La 
Rose, L'Embarras and Catahoula Coulee. 

St. Martinsville, situated on the Teche, is the parish 
seat, and is connected with the Southern Pacific Rail- 
road at Cade Station. Sugar is the chief crop proau- 
tion; rice, corn, oats, hay, sweet and Irish potatoes, 
tobacco, cotton and the garden varieties are also grown. 

The fruits are oranges, lemons, mandarins, guavas, 
grapes, plums, prunes, pomegranates, peaches, pears, figs, 
apples, persimmons and quinces. 

Cattle, sheep, hogs and horses are raised. Game, 
such as partridges, rice birds, pheasants, wild turkeys, 
squirrels, rabbits, coons, opossums, deer and bear are 
found. Fish are plentiful in the bayous, lakes and 
lagoons. 

The Anse la Butte oil field lies just within the 
borders of this parish. Good results have already been 
obtained in this field, and much greater ones are ex- 
pected when it is fully developed. 

The timber embraces cypress, oak, gum, elm willow, 
cottonwood, sugarwood and sycamore. Land is worth 
from $5.00 to $50.00 per acre. 

ST. MARY PARISH. 

This parish is situated in the southern part of the 
Stat3, and contains 414,720 acres. Its formation is coast 



199 



marsh, alluvial land, prairie, wooded swamp, and a small 
amount of bluff land. The soil is exceedingly rich and 
productive. It is drained by the Atchafalaya River, 
Grand Lake, and Bayous Teche, Sale and Cypremont. 
The Southern Pacific Railroad extends through the par- 
ish. Franklin, situated on the Teche, is the parish seat. 
Water is plentiful and good. 

Sugar is the chief crop product; rice, corn, oats 
hay, peas, sweet and Irish potatoes and garden varieties 
are extensively raised. This is one of the best sugar 
parishes in the State. The fruits and nuts are the orange, 
lemon, mandarin, fig, grape, persimmon, pomegranate, 
guava, plum, peach, pear, pecan, olive, banana and prune. 

Cattle, hogs and some horses are raised. Game con- 
sists of snipe, becasine, pheasants, rice birds, partridges, 
squirrels, rabbits, coons, opossums, and deer. Fish are 
plentiful in the bayous, lakes, lagoons and inlets, and 
oysters, crabs and terrapin are taken in the brackish 
waters. The timber is cypress, oak, cottonwood, gum. 
elm and willow. Lands are worth from $10.00 to $50.00 
per acre. 

ST. TAMMANY PARISH. 

This parish is situated in the southeastern part of 
the State, and contains 590,720 acres of land. The for- 
mation is pine hills, pine flats, alluvial land and wooded 
swamp: soil fertile and productive. It is drained by 
Pearl River. West Pearl. Chefuncta (or Tchefuncta) 
River, and Bogue Chitto, Bogue Falia and other streams. 
The New Orleans and Northeastern Railroad, belonging 



to the Queen and Crescent system, passes through the 
parish. 

Covington, situated on the Bogue Falia, is the parish 
seat. It is connected with the New Orleans and North- 
eastern Railroad at West Pearl Station. Sugar, rice, 
cotton, corn, hay, oats, beans, sweet and Irish potatoes 
and truck garden varieties are extensively raised. 

So famous has this parish become as a health resort, 
that it is known everywhere now as the "Ozone Belt." 
Thousands of cases of lung complaints have been suc- 
cessfully cured by this salubrious climate. Beautiful 
springs, whose waters are recognized as of great medici- 
nal value, abound. throug'h the parish. The most famous 
of these is the Abita Spring, which has a capacity of 
40,000 gallons daily. 

The fruits and nuts are peaches, plums, pears, pe- 
cans, apples, figs, prunes, grapes, pomegranates, quinces 
and persimmons. 

Cattle, hogs, sheep and a few horses are raised. Game 
consists of squirrels, rabbits, coons, opossums, deer, wild 
turkeys, wild ducks, papabots, becasine, snipe, partridges, 
and rice birds. Fish are plentiful in the streams and 
lakes; fine trout, bass and pike are taken. The timber 
is pine, oak, cypress, gum, elm and hickory. 

Lands are worth from $1.50 to $25.00 per acre. 

TANGIPAHOA PARISH. 

This parish is situated in the southeastern part of 
the State, and contains 505,600 acres of land. The 
formation is pine hills, pine flats, wooded swamps, and a 
small amount of alluvial land. The soil is fertile an^ 



200 



productive. It is drained by the Tangipahoa, Chefuncta, 
Natalbany and Ponchatoula Rivers, Chappapeela Creek 
and numerous smaller streams. Water is abundant and 
of good quality. 

The Illinois Central Railroad extends through the 
parish, north and south. Amite City, situated on this 



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Courthouse and Jail in Tangipahoa Parish. 

line of road and near the Tangipahoa River, is the parisn 
seat. Hammond has become very popular as a winter 
resort. 

Cotton is the chief crop product, and corn, oats, hay, 
sugar, rice, tobacco, sorghum, sweet and Irish potatoes, 
peas and truck and garden varieties are grown. Along 
the line of the Illinois Central truck and strawberries 



are extensively grown and shipped. Fruits are peaches, 
pears, apples, plums, grapes, quinces, figs, pomegranates, 
persimmons and a variety of smaller kinds. Cattle, hogs, 
sheep and horses are raised. The timber is pine, oak, 
ash, gum, elm, hickory, poplar, cucumber, Cottonwood, 
willow, beech and sycamore. 







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Taking Thing Easy. 

Game is found, such as squirrels, coons, opossums, 
foxes, rabbits, deer, wild turkeys, wild ducks, woodcock, 
snipe, becasine, rice birds, partridges and robins. Fish 
of excellent quality are taken from the streams; trout, 
bass, pike and blue cat are found. 

Land is worth from $1,00 to $25.00 per acrQ. 



201 



TENSAS PARISH. 

This parish is situated in the northeastern part of 
the State, and contains 410,240 acres of land. The 
formation is alluvia] lands and wooded swamp; soil very- 
rich and productive. It is drained by the Mississippi and 
Tensas Rivers, and Bayous Vidal, Durossett, Choctaw 
and Clark's. Water is plentiful and good. St. Joseph, 
situated on the Mississippi River, is the parish seat. 

The new Gould line traverses the parish from north 
to south, furnishing direct communication with New 
Orleans and St. Louis. 

Cotton is the chief crop product for export; corn, 
hay, oats, sweet and Irish potatoes, peas and garden 
varieties are grown. This is one of the chief cotton 
parishes. The fruits are peaches, plums, pears and ap- 
ples. Cattle, hogs, and some sheep and horses are raised. 

The timber is oak, gum, cypress, Cottonwood, pecan, 
persimmon, magnolia, elm, sycamore and willow. 

Game is found, such as squirrels, rabbits, deer, bear, 
wild turkeys, wild ducks and geese, woodcock, snipe, part- 
ridges, plover, rice birds and robins. 

Fish, in quantity, are taken from the lakes and 
bayous; bass, trout, white perch and pike are found. 

Land is worth from $1.00 to $30.00 per acre. 

TERREBONNE PARISH. 

This parish is situated in the southern part of the 
State, and contains 1,265,280 acres. The formation is 
largely composed of coast marsh with a considerable 
area of alluvial lands and wooded swamp. The soil is 
exceedingly rich and productive. It is drained partially 



by Black, De Large, Grand and Petit Caillou Bayous, and 
Blue and Blue Hammock Bayous. 

Houma, situated on Bayou Terrebonne, is the parish 
seat. It is connected with the Southern Pacific Railroad 
at Schriever Station. Sugar and rice are the chief crop 
productions; jute, peas, hay and Irish potatoes are grown. 
The fruits are oranges, lemons, mandarins, olives, ba- 
nanas, prunes, figs, pomegranates, guavas and plums. 
The timber is oak, cypress, gum, elm and willow. 

Some cattle and hogs are raised. Game is found, 
such as wild clucks and geese, papabots, jack snipe, 
becasine, pheasants, rice birds, squirrels, deer and bear. 
Fish of fine quality are found; sheepshead, pompano, salt 
water trout, Spanish mackerel, pike and crabs. Oyster 
and shrimp canning is quite an important industry. 

Land is worth from $5.00 to $50.00 per acre. 

UNION PARISH. 

This parish is situated in the northern part of the 
State, and contains 5S2.700 acres of lands. The forma- 
tion is good upland, red, sandy clay, and some alluvial 
lands. The soil is very fertile and productive. It is 
drained by the Ouachita River, Bayou D'Arbonne, and 
affluents of these streams. 

The Arkansas Southern and the Little Rock and 
Monroe Railroads run through the parish, north and 
south. 

The Farmerville and Southern Railroad runs from 
main line of the Little Rock and Monroe to Farmer- 
ville, which is the parish seat. 



202 




A TYPICAL ANTE-BELLUM HOME. 



Water Is abundant and of good quality, good springs 
and wells, and numerous branches and creeks. 

Cotton Is the chief crop product, and corn, oats, 
hay, wheat, buckwheat, sorghum, peas, sweet and Iri-sl 
potatoes, tobacco and sugar-cane are raised. Diversified 
farming is practiced. 

The fruits are peaches, apples, pears, plums, grapes, 
pomegranates, figs and quinces. Excellent fruit is raised. 

The timber is pine, oak, beech, hickory, maple, wal- 
nut, holly, gum, elm and poplar. 

Live stock, raised on the farms, comprise cattle, 
sheep, hogs and horses. Game consists of squirrels, rab- 
bits, coons, opossums, foxes, deer, wild turkeys, wild 
ducks, woodcock and partridges. Trout, bar fish and 
speckled and blue cat are found among the fish in the 
streams. 

Land is worth from $1.00 to $10.00 per acre. 

VERMILION PARISH. 

Vermilion parish is situated in the southwestern part 
of the State, and contains 800,000 acres of land. The 
formation is coast marsh, prairie, alluvial and bluff 
lands; soil rich and productive. It is drained by the 
Vermilion River, and Bayou Queue de Tortue and Fresh 
Water. Abbeville, situated on the Vermilion River, is 
the parish seat. 

A branch of the Southern Pacific Railroad runs 
through the parish. 

Rice is the chief crop product; sugar, corn, oats, hay, 
peas, sweet and Irish potatoes, and truck varieties are 



raised. The fruits and nuts are oranges, lemons, man- 
darins, plums, pecans, guavas, figs, peaches, prunes, 
pomegranates and grapes. The timber varieties are oak, 
um, elm, cypress, Cottonwood and willow. 

Live stock raised are cattle, hogs, sheep and horses. 
Game consists of rice birds, pheasants, becasine, snipe 
partridges, papabots and wild ducks and deer. Fish are 
taken from the streams and inlets, and crabs, oysters, 
diamond-back terrapins, and salt water varieties of fish 
are found. 

Lands are worth from $2.00 to $30.00 per acre. 

VERNON PARISH. 

This parish is situated in the western part of the 
State, and contains 986,600 acres erf land. The forma- 
tion is chiefly pine hills, with a little prairie and alluvial 
lands. The Kansas City Southern Railroad runs from 
north to south through this parish. It is drained by 
the Sabine and Calcasieu Rivers, and Bayous Comrade, 
Castor, Anacoco, and numerous small streams. Water 
is abundant and of good quality. The soil is fairly 
productive. 

Leesville, on the Kansas City Southern Railroad, is 
the parish seat. Cotton is the chief crop product, and 
corn, hay, oats, peas, sweet and Irish potatoes, and 
sorghum are grown. 

The fruits and nuts are peaches, pears, pecans, ap 
pies, figs, pomegranates, plums and grapes. Live stock 
comprises cattle, sheep, hogs and horses. Game consists 
of deer, squirrels, coons, opossums, rabbits, beaver, wild 



204 



turkeys, wild ducks, partridges, woodcock, pheasant, 
becasine, snipe, plover and rice birds. There are fine 
varieties of fish found in the streams, among them trout, 
pike, bar fish and bass. 

The timber is pine, oak, elm, gum, willow, hickory, 
and Cottonwood. Extensive areas of long-leaf pine exist. 

Lands are worth from $2.00 to $20.00 per acre. 

WASHINGTON PARISH. 

This parish is situated in the northeast corner of the 
southeast portion of the State, and contains 427,520 
acres of land. The formation is pine hills and flats, 
with a little alluvial land along its eastern border. The 
soil is fairly good. It is drained by Pearl River, Bogue 
Chitto and Chefuncta Creek. Water is abundant and 
good. 

The Kentwood and Eastern Railway runs through 
the northern part of the parish. 

Franklinton, situated on the Bogue Chitto, is the 
parish seat. Cotton is the chief crop product; hay, oats, 
corn, sweet and Irish potatoes, tobacco, sorghum, peas 
and the truck varieties are grown. The fruits are 
peaches, pears, plums, apples, figs, quinces, pomegranates 
and grapes. 

Live stock are cattle, horses, hogs and sheep. Game 
is found, such as deer, foxes, coons, opossums, squirrels, 
rabbits, beaver, wild turkeys, wild ducks, partridges, 
woodcock and rice birds. Fish abound in the creeks, and 
among the varieties are trout, bar fish, bass and pike. 



The timber is pine, long-leaf, beech, holly, poplar, 
gum, elm, magnolia, oak and maple. 

Lands are worth from $1.00 to $10.00 per acre. 

WEBSTER PARISH. 

This parish is situated in the northwestern part of 
the State, and contains 393,600 acres of land. The for- 
mation is good uplands and some alluvial lands. The 
soil is very good and fertile. It is drained by Dorchite, 
Crows and Black Lake Bayous and Lake Bistineau. 
Minden is the parish seat. The water is plentiful and 
good; springs, wells and small streams abound. 

The Vicksburg, Shreveport and Pacific Railroad ex- 
tends east and west, and the Louisiana and Arkansas 
Railroad north and south through the parish. Cotton is 
the chief crop product, and corn, hay, oats, peas, sorg- 
hum, sugar-cane, swuet and Irish potatoes and tobacco 
are grown. 

The fruits are peaches, pears, apples, plums, figs, 
grapes, pomegranates and quinces. Salt deposits exist, 
and beds of potters' clay, fire clay, lignite and marl are 
found. Timber is pine, oak, gum, hickory, beech, holly, 
elm, poplar, walnut and maple. 

Live stock raised are cattle, hogs, sheep, and a few 
horses. Game consists of squirrels, deer, foxes, rabbits, 
coons, opossums, wild turkeys, wild ducks, woodcock, 
robins and partridges. Fish of good quality are found 111 
the streams. 



205 



WEST BATON ROUGE. 

This parish is situated in the south central part of 
the State, and lies west of the Mississippi River. In 
area it is the smallest parish, except Orleans, in the 
State, and contains 134,400 acres of land. The formation 
is alluvial land, and wooded swamp, very fertile and 
productive. The Mississippi River drains the eastern 
borders, and Bayous Grosse Tete, Poydras and Stumpy 
the other sections. Drinking- water is good. 

The Texas and Pacific Railroad passes through the 
southern part of the parish, and has a branch road lead- 
ing from Baton Rouge Junction to the Red River. This 
branch line will form part of the main line of the new 
Gould line, St. Louis to New Orleans. 

Port Allen, situated on the west bank of the Missis- 
sippi River, is the parish seat. The timber consists of 
oak, cypress, pecan, persimmon, gum, poplar, Cottonwood, 
hackberry and willow. The general crop of the parish 
is sugar; rice, corn, hay, oats, sweet and Irish potatoes, 
peas, cotton, and the garden varieties are produced. 
Fruits are pears, peaches, plums, apples, figs, and grapes. 

Some live stock are raised, such as cattle, hogs, 
sheep and horses. Game and fish abound; deer, bear, 
squirrels, coons, opossums, wild turkeys, wild geese and 
ducks, becasine, jack snipe, partridges, rice birds and 
robins are found. 

Lands are worth from $2.50 to $30.00 per acre. 

WFST CARROLL PARISH. 

This parish is situated in the northeastern part of 
the State, and contains 243,200 acres of land. It is of 



bluff formation chiefly, with some wooded swamp and 
alluvial land, the soil of which is rich and productive. 
It is drained by Bayou Macon on the eastern and Boeuf 
River on its western borders. Floyd, situated on Bayou 
Macon, is the parish seat. Water is abundant and of 
good quality. 

• Cotton is the chief crop product, and corn, hay, oats, 
sugar-cane, sweet and Irish potatoes, sorghum, peas and 
the garden varieties are raised. The timber varieties 
are oak, cypress, ash, beech, elm, gum, cottonwood, pecan, 
locust, hickory, magnolia, holly, Imulberry and per- 
simmon. 

Live stock, such as cattle, sheep, hogs and horses, 
are raised. 

Game abounds, among which are deer, bear, squirrels, 
rabbits, coons, opossums, foxes, wild turkeys, wild ducks 
and geese, robins and woodcock. Fishing is good in the 
streams, and bass, bar fish, white perch and trout are 
found. 

Private lands are worth from $2.00 to $10.00 per 
acre. 

WEST FELICIANA PARISH. 

This parish is situated in the southeastern part of 
the State, and contains 246,400 acres of land. The 
formation is bluff and alluvial land, with some wooded 
swamp. It is drained by the Mississippi River, Bayous 
Tunica and Sara, and Thompson's Creek. A branch line 
of the Mississippi Valley Railroad, from Slaughter Sta- 
tion to Woodville, Miss., extends through the parish. 



206 




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207 



The new line of the Louisiana Railway and Navigation 
Company traverses the parish. 

St. Francisville, situated on the Mississippi River, is 
the parish seat. The water throughout the parish is 
abundant and of good quality. The chief crop product 
is cotton; corn, hay, oats, peas, sweet and Irish potatoes, 
sorghum, sugar-cane and tobacco are raised. The timber 
is cypress, Cottonwood, willow, oak, pine, beech, gum, 
elm, magnolia, holly, hackberry, hickory, poplar, syca- 
more, walnut and persimmon. The fruits and nuts are 
peaclies, pears, pecans, apples, prunes, pomegranates, 
figs, quinces and grapes. Live stock thrives remarkably 
well, and this parish has long been noted for its superior 
breeds of blooded cattle. Hogs, sheep and horses do 
well here. Game abounds, such as deer, coons, opossums, 
foxes, rabbits, squirrels, beavers, wild turkeys, wild du< k« 
and geese, partridges, snipe, rice birds and voodcock. 
Excellent varieties of fish are taken from the lakes, 
bayous and creeks, among which are trout, bass, white 
perch and bar fish. 

The Tunica hills are most suitable for grape culture 
and horticulture, the soil being a rich marl loam. Lan 1 
is v nr'h frorr 52.00 to $25.00 per acre 



WINN PARISH. 

Winn parish is situated near the central part of the 
State, and contains 610,560 acres of land. The forma- 
tion is pine hills, with a small amount of good uplands. 
The soil is fair, and in the creek bottoms very good. It 
is drained by the Dugdemona River, Saline Bayou, Flat 
Creek, Bayou Jatt and other streams. The water is 
abundant and good. 

The Louisiana Railway and Navigation Company and 
the Arkansas Southern Railroads run through the parish. 

Winnfield, situated near the center, is the parish seat. 
Cotton is the chief product; corn, hay, oats, peas, sweet 
and Irish potatoes, sorghum, sugar-cane and tobacco are 
grown. The fruits and nuts are peaches, pears, plums, 
apples, figs, pecans, English walnuts, quinces, grapes and 
pomegranates. The timber comprises pine, oak, elm, 
hickory and gum. There are extensive areas of long-leaf 
pine. Live stock are cattle, sheep and hogs. Game con- 
sists of deer, coons, opossums, foxes, squirrels, rabbits, 
wild turkeys, robins, woodcock and partridges. Fish of 
good varieties are found in the streams. There are de- 
posits of salt, marble, li nite. kaolin, gypsum, limestone, 
iron, fire clay, ami potters' clay. ' ands are worth from 
$1.00 to ?10. 00 per acre. 



308 




A Louisiana Cypress Tree, 



LOUISIANA'S METHOD OP CLASS WORK IN PRACTICAL AGRICUL- 
TURE AT HER INDUSTRIAL INSTITUTES. 



H. B.— 14 



209 



FORCES AT WORK IN BEHALF OF THE FARMER. 



BOARD OF AGRICULTURE AND IMMIGRATION. 

TO THIS DEPARTMENT is entrusted the di- 
rection of the Experiment Stations. The De- 
partment endeavors to get as close to the 
farmers as possible. Periodically, crop re- 
ports, setting forth the prospects, conditions and va- 
riety of crops in Louisiana, accompanied with one or 
more papers relating to some particular question of im- 
portance in agriculture by some distinguished agricul- 
turist, are distributed free to the farmers of the State. 
As a Bureau of Information, the Department invites, re- 
ceives and answers thousands of letters annually, seek- 
ing agricultural information. It issues, from time to 
time, other agricultural literature for distribution. 

THE LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY AND AGRI- 
CULTURAL AND MECHANICAL COLLEGE, 
Is doing a grand work in the education of young men of 
the State in Agriculture and its underlying sciences. 
Special courses are provided in Agriculture, the Me- 
chanics, Chemistry, and the culture of sugar-cane, Veter- 
inary Science, Entomology, Horticulture, Geology and 
Biology, which fully equip many young men to engage 
in agricultural pursuits, where they become teachers and 
leaders in their reipective communities throughout the 
State. The foundation is here being laid for an advanced 



and modern system of agriculture, which a great agri- 
cultural State like Louisiana stands in need of. 

AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 

The Agricultural Experiment Stations of the Louisi- 
ana State University, created by an Act of Congress, 
known as the "Hatch Bill." passed in 1S87, appropriates 
$15,000 annually for the establishment of Experiment 
Stations in connection with the State Agricultural Col- 
leges. The Legislature of Louisiana appropriates annu- 
ally a like amount for the maintenance of these Stations. 
The Board of Supervisors of the State Universit- 1 - divided 
these funds equally between three Stations. One is 
located on the College grounds at Baton Rouge, Louisi- 
ana, known as the "State Experiment Station," and 
deals with general agriculture upon the bluff lands of 
the State. One is located at Audubon Park, New Or- 
leans, Louisiana, known as "The Sugar Experiment Sta- 
tion," and deals especially with sugar-cane and its 
manufacture and, incidentally with oranges and semi- 
tropical crops. It is located upon alluvial lands. One 
located in north Louisiana, at Calhoun, Louisiana, known ■ 
as "The North Louisiana Experiment Station," in tho 
| Parish of Ouachita, on the line of the Vicksburg, Shreve- 
port and Pacific Railroad, deals with general diversified 
agriculture, dairying, live stock and poultry. It is 
situated on the oak, hickory, and short-leaf pine lands 




EXPERIMENT STATION AT AUDUBON PARK, NEW ORLEANS. 



of the State, geologically known as "good uplands." 
Thus, it is seen, Louisiana has three Experiment Stations, 
located upon the different types of soils, each studying 
and solving the problems that concern education of the 
farmers of the* State, and one at Crowley, which deals 
with the rice industry of the State. 

PARISH AGRICULTURAL FAIRS 

Are being organized and conducted in a great many of 
the parishes of Louisiana, the Department of Agriculture 
taking a leading part in this work, contributing liberally 
to the premium fund of each fair. Quite a number of 
these fairs have already been organized, and a great 



many more are planned for organizing during the fall 
of 1911. 

The Farmers' Institutes, Agricultural Clubs anl 
Parish Fairs, form a trinity of educational forces at 
work in the several parishes of the State that cannot 
be equaled. 

FERTILIZER LAW. 

The Department of Agriculture has the enforcement 
and control of the Fertilizer Feed Stuff and Paris Green 
Laws, which secure to the farmer unadulterated fertili- 
zers, cotton seed meal feed stuff and Paris green, anl 
protects him against fraud in their purchase. This is a 
most important work in behalf of agriculture. 



GOOD ROADS. 



THE Legislature at its session of 1910 enacted laws 
on this subject that can and will redound in 
great benefit to the entire people. In sub- 
stance, they are as follows: The State em- 
ploys a Highway Eng!neer, who will supervise the con- 
struction of all roads, the expenses for building the roads 
to be borne one-half by the State and one-half by the 
parish or town. The roads shall be built as far as 
practicable in the order of the date of receipt of tho 
applications from Presidents of the Police Juries of thj 
respective parishes. In order to further carry out the 
provisions of the act and provide sufficient labor tj 



construct and maintain the public roads as provided for, 
the convicts of the State may be worked as authorized 
by the Constitution. The labor furnished by the con- 
victs shall be secured by the State Highway Engineer 
making application to the Board of Control of the State 
Penitentiary, who shall furnish such convicts in case 
they are available, and free of charge; provided, how- 
ever, that the cost of maintenance and operation shall 
be borne by the parish, municipality or road district 
having the work performed. The Board of Control of 
the State Penitentiary shall at all times retain control 
and supervision over said convicts. 



212 



In compliance with these provisions, De Soto Parish 
made the first application and work was commenced 
then, and today they have twenty-five miles of splendid 
highway. This has been followed by fifteen miles from 
New Orleans to Chef Menteur. sixteen miles from Baton 
Rouge to Hope Villa and three miles on the Bayou Sara 
road. 

Ouachita Parish has seventeen and one-half miles (a 
picture of which can be seen on another page). 



Natchitoches has thirteen miles and Rapides has 
three miles. 

The law was enacted on the 29th of June, 1910, an 1 
to make all preparations to commence work and have 
completed ninety-two miles of first-class roads by Feb- 
ruary following is a splendid augury for Louisiana s 
wonderful improvement. 



ED U C A T 10 N . 



M 



ANY years ago the people of Louisiana, realizing 
the vast importance of education, determined 
to aim high in this grand work, and, step by 
step, as the years rolled 'round, the onward and 
upward march has continued. The Legislators have 
always shown a liberality in appropriations commensu- 
rate with a great State's great cause. The Police Juries 
and City or Town councils have kept an even pace with 
the State, and a combination of all the various elements 
is a motive power so potent that no fears are now appre- 
hended as to Louisiana's place among her sister States. 

A glance at the following figures will show what te 
being clone and the various sources of revenue, whicn 
revenue, except where specially mentioned, is to be 
applied strictly and solely to the establishment and 
support of free public schools, and there is a special 
Constitutional inhibition against appropriating any part 
of it to the support of sectarian schools. 



Appropriations for support of free public 

schools for 1911 % 900.000.00 

For public school agricultural branches 25,000.00 

For high schools that maintain a specific 

standard 50,000.00 

For holding Teachers' Institutes 15.000.00 

Out of the Interest Tax Fund 45.234.70 

For payment interest on Seminary Fund.... 5,440.00 
For payment of interest on funds due the 

Agricultural and Mechanical College.... 9,115 63 



Total $1,349,790.33 

Louisiana State University — For support, 

maintenance of library, etc 100,000.00 

State Normal— For support, maintenance of 

additions to buildings, etc 67.5no.O.'> 

For purchase of land 10.5'J 5.00 



213 



For new buildings out of revenues of 

1912 50,000.00 

Louisiana Industrial Institute— For support, 
maintenance, erection of new buildings, 
etc 60,000.00 

Southwestern Louisiana Industrial Institute.. 25,000.00 
For insurance on building and contents 

for three years 1,500.00 

For repairs 1,000.00 

Southern University — For support for edu- 
cation of persons of color, including in- 
surance . . . 10,000.00 

For repairs and improvements 750.00 

State Reform School — For support, mainte- 
nance and improvements 10,000.00 

Louisiana Institute for the Blind 12,500.00 

For general repairs 500.00 

For insurance for three years 700.00 

For library 250.00 

Louisiana School for the Deaf — For sup- 
port, etc 25,000.0;) 

For general repairs 500.00 

For insurance on buildings and con- 
tents for three years 700.00 

Total amount appropriated by the State 

for 1911 $1,726,285 39 

Total receipts for the school year of 1909-10, 
including State appropriation, Police 
Jury appropriation, Town Council appro- 



priation, poll taxes, fines and forfeitures, 
Sixteenth Section, interest on daily bal- 
ance, rent of school lands, special school 
taxes, donations for libraries, other 
sources, high school appropriation, etc... 4,936,300.34 
Value of all school houses, sites and furni- 
ture 6,776,167.07 

Value of school libraries 107,004.58 

Value of all wagonettes 21,624.95 

Total value of all school property, white and 
colored, including office fixtures, approx- 
imate value of Sixteenth Sections, etc... 7,815, 296. S5 
Total number of children enrolled in 

1909-10 253,846 

"Total number of pupils in parish schools.. 41,064 

(About one-third of above are colored.) 
Briefly our educational systems are: 

I— SCHOOL SYSTEMS. 

(1) A State system of public schools supported 
partly by State taxation, partly by police jury, and other 
local appropriations, and supervised by a State super- 
intendent of public instruction, a State board of educa- 
tion, and parish school boards. 

(2) The city school systems separate in organiza- 
tion and supervision from the State system, but partially 
supported by the prorated school revenues of the State. 

II.— HIGHER EDUCATION. 

(1) High schools officially recognized by the State 
Board of Education as pursuing an approved curriculum. 



214 





Dormitory for Girls, Southwestern Louisiana 
Industrial Institute, at Lafayette. 



Young Ladies' Dormitory, Louisiana Indus- 
trial Institute, at Ruston. 





Mt. Lebanon University — Established Over 
Fifty Tears Ago. 



215 



Foster Hall, Louisiana State University, 
Baton Rouge. 



(2) The State University and Agricultural and Me- 
chanical College. 

(3) Tulane University of Louisiana, which, although 
exacting tuition fees, may be considered a semi-public 
institution, owing to its scholarship system, and the fact 
that the State contributes indirectly largely to its sup- 
port by exempting its investments from taxation. 

III.— PROFESSIONAL EDUCATIONAL TRAINING. 

(1) The State Norm. 1 School at Natchitoches. 

(2) The New Orleans Normal School. Both of these 
institutions are preparing for the public school service 
of the State a corps of fully equipped and professionally 
trained teachers. 

(3) State Teachers' Institutes and Summer Normal 
Schools. These give the opportunity of one month's 
training and professional study ti teachers who are un- 
able to take the more extended courses of the State 
Normal School, and are supported largely by annual 
appropriations from the Peabody fund. 

(4) Parish Teachers' Institutes of one week's dura- 
tion required by law to be held under the auspices of 
parish superintendents of education. 

(5) Educational Associations, such as the annual 
convention of parish superintendents of education; the 



annual meeting of the State Teachers' Association; ths 
monthly meetings of parish and city teachers' associa- 
tions, all of which exert an influence in the direction 
of professionalizing the business of education. 

IV.— INDUSTRIAL EDUCATION. 

(1) The State Industrial Institute at Ruston, giv- 
ing, free of charge, admirable instruction in Englisn, 
science, mechanics, trades, occupations and industries to 
both sexes. 

(2) The Southwestern Industr.dl Institute, at Lafay- 
ette, is an institution doing work along the same lines. 

V.— PRIVATE AND SECTARIAN SCHOOLS. 

There are many of these for both sexes diotribute.l 
through the State. 

VI.— EDUCATION OF THE COLORED. 

(1) Public schools in every town, city and parish. 

(2) Southern Universtiy for the higher and indus- 
trial training of negro youth. Much of what the State 
might do for negro education is rendered unnecessary 
owing to the large number of prosperous special institu- 
tions in our midst thrt are supported by endowment. 



216 




TULANE UNIVERSITY, NEW ORLEANS, LA. 



LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY AND AGRICULTURAL AND MECHAN- 
ICAL COLLEGE. 



THE Louisiana State University and Agricultural 
and Mechanical College had its origin ii. the ad- 
ministration of President Jefferson. Then a town- 
ship of land, north of Red River, was voted to 
the Territory of Orleans to found a seminary of learn- 
ing; afterwards, in the administration of President Mad- 
ison, another township of land, south of Red River, 
was voted for the same purpose. 

The State of Louisiana, formed from the Territory 
of Orleans, fell heir to these townships of land; but the 
"Seminary of Learning'' was not established, organized 
and opened near Alexandria for the reception of stu- 
dents until January 2, 1860. - 

A faculty of five professors was appointed, and the 
organization and discipline of the school was military. 
It was a military academy. 

The institution was becoming quite prosperous; it 
had about 125 cadets present when the Civil War closed 
its doors in 1861. 

An effort was made in 1862 to reopen it; and, con- 
sidering the troublous times, it was quite successful; but 
the Federal invasion of the Red River Valley in 1S62 
closed its doors again, not to be reopened until October 
2, 1865. 

The school was progressing finely; it had nearly 280 



cadets present, when, October 15, 1S69, the College build- 
ing was destroyed by fire. Given shelter by the State 
in the commodious Deaf and Dumb Asylum Building at 
Baton Rouge, the exercises were resumed there November 
1st, 1S69, and the name of the Institute was soon changed 
to "The Louisiana State University." Its course of study 
accordingly became broader. 

The life of the school ran smoothly — the number of 
professors and facilities for instruction greatly increas- 
ing — until 1S73, when, as a logical result of the "Politi- 
cal Reconstruction" of the South, there were two con- 
flicting State Governments of Louisiana, and for four 
years no appropriations were made for the school; that 
is, the annual interest on its National Endowment was 
not paid. Professors had to leave — for bread for them- 
selves and families — and the number of students was 
reduced to a mere handful. Still life was kept in the 
organization; it was not permitted to die. 

In 1877, the State's political and financial affairs 
having become somewhat settled, the appropriations for 
the support of the school were resumed. Then, too, it 
was that the Agricultural and Mechanical College was 
united with the State University; and the joint insti- 
tution took on new life, with soon a largely increased 
faculty and number of students. 



218 




STATE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS, AT BATON ROUGE. 
219 



The Agricultural and Mechanical College Is also a 
gift of the National Government — in the administration 
of President Lincoln. To found the College, 30,000 acres 
of land were voted for each representative and senator 
in Congress from Louisiana. 

In common with the other State Agricultural and 
Mechanical Colleges, the University receives annually 
(since 1SS7) from the United States Treasury $15,000 
for the maintenance of one or more "Experiment Sta- 
tions." There are now four st-tion In the State — No. 1, 
Sugar Station," at Audubon Park, New Orleans; No. 2, 
"State Station," at Baton Rouge; No. 3, "The North 
Louisiana Experiment Station," at Calhoun, in north 
Louisiana, and the Rice Experiment Station, at Crowley. 

The University also receives annually (since 18901 
from the United States Treasury its pro-rata (with the 
Southern University in New Orleans) of $15,000 with 
an annual increase of $1,000 for ten years— thereafter 
to be a fixed annual sum of $25,000— "to be applied only 
to instruction in Agriculture, the Mechanical Arts, the 
English Language, and the various branches of Mathe- 
matical, Physical, and Economic Science." 

Under the State Constitution of 1S9S, the University 
receives $15,000 per annum from the Legislature for sup- 
port, and special appropriations are made for repairs, 
insurance, etc. The Constitution was amended by a 
vote of the people, and there is now no limitation as 
to the amount that can be appropriated by the Legis- 
lature for support. 



Tuition is free to all residents of Louisiana, and 
board and other expenses are reduced to a minimum. 

In 18S6 the National Government remembered the 
University in a most princely manner by giving it the 
use of the extensive grounds and buildings of the Mili- 
tary Garrison and Arsenal at Baton Rouge. By Act of 
Congress, approved April 2Sth, 1902, the "full and com- 
plete title" to this property was transferred to the Uni- 
versity. And here, on this romantic and historic spot 
where the Great Nations battled so often and so long for 
the Great River — here the school is to-day. Here, too, 
was the home of Zachary Taylor, President of the United 
States, and was the birthplace of his illustrious son 
Richard, of Confederate fame. 

Since its founding, the University has had eminent 
men in its faculty — men distinguished in war, literatura 
and science: General William T. Sherman and Admiral 
Raphael Semmes, leaders in the Civil War; Col. David 
P. Boyd, one of the most learned, eminent and indefati- 
gable educators that Louisiana has ever had, successor 
to General Sherman as Superintendent (Col. Boyd had 
served with distinction under "Stonewall" Jackson, and 
on the return of peace he reorganized the school. To his 
indomitable courage and unflagging zeal, under the most 
discouraging circumstances, was due Its preservation 
during a most eventful period of transition); Doctors An- 
thony Vallas and James W. Nicholson, mathematicians 
of great fame; Colonels Samuel H. Loekett and Richaid 
S. McCulloch, noted scientists and engineers; Doctors 
Mark W. Harrington, late Chief of the U. S. Weather 



220 




Cutting Cane on N. S. Dougherty's Plantation, 
East Baton Rouge Parish. 




LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY BARRACKS. 




Free Trah'ic Bridge at Monroe. 



DEAF AND DUMB INSTITUTE AT BATON ROUGE. 



Bureau, and Williams C. Stubbs, so widely known in 
Agriculture; Richard M. Venable, Baltimore's great law- 
yer and professor of law at Johns Hopkins, and Doctor 
John R. Page, professor of agriculture in the University 
of Virginia; Doctors James M. Garnett and C. Alphonso 
Smith, among the ablest English scholars and writers 
of this day; and Colonels William Preston Johnston, 
afterward President of Tulane University, and Thomas D. 
Boyd, ex-President of the State Normal School, and now 
President of the University, and many of the alumni are 
holding high positions of honor and trust in civil and 
military life. 

The University is proud of its past, but it looks to 
a future full of rapidly expanding usefulness and pros- 
perity. During the past few years many improvements 
have been added; an electric plant has been installed 
which gives light to the buildings and grounds and power 
to the laboratories and workshops; and three handsome 
buildings have been erected, making thirty-four in all. 
The new buildings are the Hill Memorial Library, do- 
nated by Mn John Hill, of West Baton Rouge, in 
memory of his son, John Hill, Jr., who graduated at the 
University in 1873, and served as one of its supervisors 
until his death in 1S93; the Heard Hall, a laboratory for 
Physics, Electricity and Civil Engineering; and the 
Robertson Hall, a large and well equipped mechanical 
workshop. Also the Alumni Memorial Hall, which is 
the handsomest building on the campus. This is an 
offering of love from the alumni of the Universtiy. 

The University campus contains 52 acres, ajid is 



acknowledged to be one of the most beautiful spots In tha 
South. It is on a bluff, high above the Mississippi 
River, and is well drained. The health record of its 
students is excellent. 

The University has a strong faculty of about forty 
professors, and an attendance of about 600 students 
from ten States and six foreign countries. It is now 
co-educational and also has a professional department 
of law. 

There are nine regular courses of study, leading to 
the degrees of Bachelor of Art's and Bachelor of Science, 
as follows: the Literary Course, the Latin-Science 
Course, the Agricultural Course, the Mechanical Course, 
the Civil Engineering Course, the Electrical Engineering 
Course, the General Science Course, the Sugar Course, 
and the Commercial Course, to which must be added Law. 

Graduate courses are offered, which lead to the de- 
grees of Master of Arts and Master of Science; and 
special courses are arranged for students who have not 
the time or the inclination to pursue a full four years' 
course. 

It is believed that the Sugar Course, in which excep- 
tional opportunities for practical instruction are afforded 
at the Sugar Experiment Station, offers better training 
for experts in that important industry than can bo 
found anywhere else in the world. Mr. Xorman Lamont, 
in an article in the Empire Review, London, August, 
1902, concerning the sugar industry in the West Indies, 
says: "The proprietor may officer his plantation with 
trained American men; and the parent may send his 



222 






p 
o 

K 

z 
o 



p 




223 



son to receive that superlative technical education freely 
ottered to all comers of whatsoever nationality by the 
State University of Louisiana, to whose gifted professor 
of agriculture I am very deeply indebted, not only for 



valuable Information placed at my disposal, but for the 
facilities given me for studying, on the spot, the work- 
ing of that admirable sugar school, over which he pre- 
sides." 





Robertson Hall, Louisiana State University, 
Baton Rouge. 



Heard Hall, Louisiana State University, 
Baton itouge. 



221 




= 

PL, 




H. B.— 15 



THE TULANE UNIVERSITY. 



THE TULANE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA, as 
now constituted, is the result of a contract entered 
into in 1884 by the State of Louisiana and the 
Board of Administrators of the Tulane Educational 
Fund. This contract placed the existing University of 
Louisiana under the perpetual care of the Tulane Ad- 
ministrators, with all its property, powers, privileges, 
immunities, and franchises, and with such other powers 
as might be necessary to enable them to "foster, main- 
tain and develop a great University in the City of New 
Orleans." By the Act, No. 43, of the Session of 1884, 
making this contract, the name of the institution was 
changed to "The Tulane University of Louisiana." 

In 1S82, Mr. Paul Tulane, for many years a resident 
of New Orleans, made to the Administrators appointed 
by him his first donation "for the higher education of 
white youth of Louisiana." This gift was only the 
beginning of his generous endowment of the University. 
In 1SS6, Mrs. Josephine Louise Newcomb, whose 
husband, Warren Newcomb, formerly a resident of New 
Orleans, donated to the Tulane Educational Fund "the 
sum of $100,000, to be used in establishing the H. 
Sophie Newcomb Memorial College, in the Tulane Uni- 
versity of Louisiana, for the higher education of whits 
girls and young women." In thus perpetuating the 
memory of an only child, Mrs. Newcomb enabled the 
Tulane Administrators to round out the ideal of a Uni- 



versity by the creation of an institution that would 
give to women all the educational advantages which had 
before been offered only to men. Mrs. Newcomb added 
largely to her original endowment, and enabled it to 
build the handsome group of buildings in which it is 
now domiciled. The Newcomb College is one of the best 
endowed institutions for women in the United States. 

The University in all its departments is located in 
the City of New Orleans, the metropolitan city of the 
South, a city long noted for its refined and cultivated 
social life, and destined to become one of the great com- 
mercial centers of the country. The Colleges of Arts 
and Sciences and Technology, and the Graduate Depart- 
ment are on St. Charles avenue, opposite Audubon Park, 
in the handsomest and most rapidly growing suburban 
residential district. The H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial 
College is located in Washington avenue, in one of the 
most attractive parts of the city. The Law and Medical 
Departments are in Canal street, in close proximity to 
the great Charity Hospital, the unrivaled facilities of 
which are freely used in the instruction of the students 
of the Medical Department. 

The University comprises the following departments: 
Graduate Department, College of Arts and Sciences, Col- 
lege of Technology, H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial Col- 
lege for Young Women, Law Department, and Medical 
Department. 



226 



The College of Arts and Sciences offers two courses, 
Classical and Literary, leading to the degree of Bachelor 
of Arts, and a Scientific Course, leading to the degree 
of Bachelor of Science. These courses furnish a broad, 
secure foundation of liberal education. 

The College of Technology offers four courses, lead- 
ing to the degree of Bachelor of Engineering. The 
courses are denominated, according to the special branch, 
Mechanical (including Electrical) Engineering, Civil En- 
gineering, Chemical Engineering, and Sugar Engineer- 
ing. This College is devoted to the higher education of 
young men in engineering. While emphasizing the purely 
technical side, due consideration is given also to culture 
studies. The training of this college aims to produce 
men of broad scholarship, capable of leadership in other 
than technical lines as well as in engineering. 

The H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College for Toung 
Women offers a course of study extending over four 
years, and leading to the degree of Bachelor of Arts. 
The facilities for work in art are exceptionally fine, 
and there is a course in Normal Art, extending over 
four years, for which a diploma of graduation is awarded. 

While the civil law is taught in the Law Department 
as the basis of the civil code and of the whole legal 
superstructure of the State, the course of instruction is 
sufficiently comprehensive to prepare students for admis- 
sion to the bar, not only of Louisiana, but also in any 
of the Common Law States of the Union. 

The course of instruction in the Medical Department 
Is thorough, and with the new, well-equipped laborato- 



ries, added to the unrivaled practical advantages of the 
Charity Hospital, this department offers unsurpassed 
facilities for medical education. Medical students are 
given access to the Charity Hospital, without extra, 
charge, and far better opportunities for the study of 
diseases therein than are usually enjoyed in the hospitals 
of other cities. 

The University has exceptional facilities for labora- 
tory woa-k in the natural sciences and for experimental 
training in the engineering courses. Few institutions 
are so well equipped in this respect. A separate build- 
ing is provided for the subject of Chemistry, with hand- 
some laboratories and all necessary apparatus and facili- 
ties, where all branches of the subject, including sugar 
and industrial chemistry, can be studied under most fa- 
vorable conditions. A similar building is devoted to 
Physics and Biology, with complete equipment of the 
modern apparatus for advanced work in these branches. 
Extensive laboratories and shops have been erected tor 
the engineering work of the College of Technology, fur- 
nishing unsurpassed facilities for the training of me- 
chanical, electrical, and civil engineers, and industrial 
chemists. The University libraries contain about forty 
thousand well-selected volumes, including unbound sets 
of pamphlets, and the reading rooms are supplied with 
complete files of the leading reviews and magazines and 
standard works of reference. 

The total teaching force numbers about one hun- 
dred professors and instructors, and the total number 
of students, in all departments, approximates 1,500, th« 



227 



largest student enrollment of any institution in the 
Southern States. 

In all its departments the University occupies twenty 



distinct buildings, nearly all of which have been con- 
structed within the past ten years, and are in every 
respect modern in their design and appointments. 



LOUISIANA STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 



T 



HE most important agency for the special training 
of teachers maintained by the State is the State 
Normal School at Natchitoches. 

The normal buildings stand upon a hill overlooking 
the valley of Cane River, one of the channels of Red 
River, which is three miles away. This valley is one of 
the richest and most beautiful in the world. Elevated 
pine forests border the valley, ?.nd the school is locate 1 
on the eminence, or plateau, where the pine hills verge 
upon the alluvial lands. The grounds now include over 
two hundred and eighty acres, about fifty acres of 
lawns, studded with live oaks, pines, elms, cedars and 
China trees, with fine avenues of pines and Chinas, and 
fifty acres of unbroken forest pines, cleared of under- 
brush and set in grass, with drives and good paths for 
bicycles. The front lawn borders on Chaplin Lake, a 
sheet of clear water about a mile and a half long. 

The buildings are situated near the middle of the 
grounds, and are about a half mile distant from the 
central portion of the town of Natchitoches. There are 
four buildings, besides the president's cottage. The 
matron's building is a large two-and-a-half story resi- 
dence, in Virginia style of architecture, erected for .1 
plantation mansion about 1840. It has a fine gallery in 



front supported by lofty columns. The rooms are very 
large, well lighted and conveniently arranged. This 
building contains the matron's room, reception room, the 
infirmary, two halls and five large bed rooms. 

Adjoining this is the convent building, a large two- 
story brick building, with attic, in the mission style of 
architecture, erected in 1857 for the Convent of th» 
Sacred Heart, at a cost, it is said, of $75,000. During the 
current year this building has been thoroughly recon- 
structed for the purpose of adapting it for use as the 
ladies' dormitory. It is now in better condition than 
when it was erected, is finished in natural wood, painted 
and papered throughout, and contains as comfortable 
and attractive bed rooms as are to be found in any 
school in the country. In this building are the presi- 
dent's office, the library and reading room, two largo 
halls for the literary societies, the supply room and 
thirty-five bed rooms. About twenty feet from the con- 
vent building is the new normal building, a handsome 
structure of modern design, erected in the summer Df 
1895 at a cost of $20,000. This contains the assembly 
room, an audience room with a seating capacity of S00, 
ten large class rooms, two smaller recitation rooms, the 
chemical and physical laboratory, two dressing rooms 



228 



two cloak rooms, three practice school rooms and three 
janitor's closets. The new building is connected with 
the other buildings by a covered walk-way. The fourth 
building is known as the dining room building. It has 
been recently reconstructed, being more than double In 
size, and connected with the others by double galleries. 
This contains a dining hall 58x38 feet, to accommodate 
200 persons, a large kitchen, serving room, two store 
rooms, and on the second floor eight bed rooms and nine 
bath rooms. The president's cottage, a neat residence 
for the use of the president of the Normal School, occu- 
pies a position near the buildings. Recently a concrete 
fire-proof dormitory for girls has been completed. An 
up-to-date electric plant installed; a modern motor- 
driven steam laundry; a sewer system throughout the 
grounds established, and a fire-proof dining room with 



seating capacity of 1,000 will be ready for use for th9 
summer term. 

The school comprises two departments — the Normal 
department, which has for its object to furnish scholastic 
and pedagogical training for the teacher's profession; 
and the practice school, in which methods of teaching 
are exemplified, and in which the Normal students of 
the senior class do one year of actual teaching, under 
the direction and guidance of the training teachers. The 
Normal course covers a period of four years, each session 
being divided into two terms of four months each. New 
Normal classes are organized at the beginning of each 
term, October 1st and February 1st, so that students who 
cannot attend school continuously until graduation, mav 
attend either term of several successive sessions, until 
they complete the course of study. 



LOUISIANA INDUSTRIAL INSTITUTE. 



THE LOUISIANA INDUSTRIAL INSTITUTE was 
created by the Legislature of 1894, Act No. 68 of 
that body, providing for the organization and sup- 
port of an institution for the industrial education of both 
sexes. It is recognized in the Constitution of 1S98 as a 
part of the educational system of the State. It opened 
its doors in September, 1895, with a faculty of five mem- 
bers, and enrolled during the first session, 202 students. 
It now has twenty-nine teachers in the faculty, and, 
notwithstanding the fact that -a higher standard of 
admission was required at the opening of the session 



of 1909-10, one hundred and fifty applicants were denied 
entrance, but 522 entered. Its growth in all the elements 
contributing to its usefulness and efficiency has been 
steady and rapid. Since the first session the quarters 
for academic and industrial work have been more th;m 
doubled, and the equipments for practical and scientific 
instruction have been increased more than ten-fold. 

There are three large brick buildings. The main ha'l 
is a three-story building, containing auditorium, labora- 
tories, shops, offices, class rooms, library, and other 
rooms. The Girls' Dormitory, likewise a three-story 



229 



brick building, is capable of accommodating over 260 
young ladies. The Mechanics Hall, or Arts Building, is 
a handsome three-story pressed brick structure. The 
Boys' Hall, a two-story frame building, will accommo- 
date about 120 people. Besides these a laundry building 
and some three or more cottages are on the grounds. 

In addition to the above a president's cottage, at a 
cost of $5,000, and a Domestic Science Building, at a 
cost of $20,000, are in course of construction. 

The school is organized into the following depart- 
ments: Language and Literature; Pure and Applied 
Mathematics, History and Civics, Biology, Physics and 
Chemistry, Mechanics, Business, Domestic Science, Print- 
ing and Music. The work in each is intensive and prac- 
tical; in the higher classes it becomes technical. In the 
Department of Domestic Science, sewing, cooking, do- 
mestic dairying and gardening are taught. 

The following equipments have been provided for 
the work of these departments: 

For English and History: 1200 volumes of standard 
works; wall maps, relief maps, and current magazines. 

For Mathematics. Mathematical models, surveying 
instruments. 

For Biology: Twenty-four Reichert's microscopes, 
one extra bacteriological microscope, one miorotome, 
camera lucida, dissecting microscopes, reagents for mi- 
croscopic work, rearing cages, aquarium, collection of 
marine invertebrates, collection of marine fishes, etc. 

For Physics and Chemistry: Thirty sets of appa- 
ratus for individual use. chemicals for course, analytical 



balance spectroscope, barometer (Bunsen), thermome- 
ters, induction coil, Edison Lalande battery, platinum 
crucibles, dishes and cones, graduated cylinders, flasks 
and pipettes, burettes, water baths, distilling apparatus, 
blast lamps, reagent bottles, etc., etc. 

For Drawing: Twenty drawing tables, twenty 'sets 
drawing instruments. 

For Mechanics: Woodshop, twelve double work- 
benches, twenty-four complete sets of tools, one power 
rip and cross-cut saw combined, twelve wood turning 
lathes, one band saw, complete assortment of special 
tools. 

Forge Shop: Twelve blast forges, twelve anvils, 
complete set of sledges, hammers, tongs, etc. 

Machine Shop: Six engine lathes, one planer, one 
shaper, one drill press, two speed lathes, eight vises, sef 
of wrenches, taps, dies, hammers, chisels, etc., for con- 
structing all kinds of machine work. 

Steam Plant: One 60-horsepower Corliss engine, 
one 60-horsepower water tube boiler, one steam pump, 
one Hancock inspirator, one Crosby engine indicator, 
calorimeters, thermometers, etc., for testing engines and 
boilers. 

For Business. Six Remington typewriters, eight 
complete tables for bookkeeping, office outfit. 

For Domestic Science: Five Cabinet sewing ma- 
chines, cutting and fitting outfit, food charts, one steel 
range, one coal oil stove, one Aladdin oven, kitchen uten- 
sils, dining room outfit. 

For Printing: One Prouty news press, one Chindler 



230 



& Price job press, one paper cutter, one stapler, complete 
assortment of type. 

For Telegraphy: Batteries, instruments and wire 



connections for twelve students. 

All class rooms are furnished with single desks and 
slate blackboards. 



SOUTHWESTERN LOUISIANA INDUSTRIAL INSTITUTE. 



THE SOUTHWESTERN INDUSTRIAL INSTITUTE, 
established by Act No. 1G2 of 1S9S for the 
education of both sexes of the white race 
in Louisiana in the arts and sciences and prac- 
tical industries of life, opened for the first time 
on September 15, 1901, and will complete its tenth 




Main Building, Southwestern Louisiana Indus- 
trial Institute. Lafayette. 



school year on May 27, 1911. It now has an at- 
tendance of nearly two hundred and fifty students, of 
whom about one hundred are girls. All students are 
oyer fourteen years of age and are required to be as far 
advanced as the eighth grade for admission. The Insti- 
tution now owns fifty acres of land and eight substantial 




High School, 



231 



buildings, four being of brick and four frame. The 
main building is a large two and one-half story and 
basement brick building erected at a cost of $50,000.00. 
There is a two-story brick dormitory for boys and an- 
other for girls, and a two-story brick arts and crafts 
building. There is a President's residence, a residence 
for members of the Faculty, a model barn, and a frame 
galvanized iron-covered boys' gymnasium. The total 
value of the property of the Institute is $200,000.00. In 
the first ten years of its life the local community, town 
and parish of Lafayette, has contributed $87,500.00 for 
buildings and equipment, which amount has been exactly 
duplicated for the same purpose by appropriations from 
the State, making a total of $175,000.00 for buildings 
and equipment, while the State has appropriated for run- 
ning expenses a total of $136,000.00, or an average of 



$13,000.00 a year. However, for the present biennial pe- 
riod this appropriation has been increased to a total for 
the two years — including both support and equipment — 
of $53,500.00. The school has in successful operation a 
department of instruction in Agriculture, Home Econom- 
ics, Farm, Tool and Shopwork, Telegraphy, Stenography, 
Commercial subjects and a thorough Academic-Industrial 
Course of four years. These, together with a department 
of music, both instrumental and vocal, drawing and sing- 
ing in all departments, gymnasium and physical educa- 
tion for both boys and girls and helpful student organiza- 
tions, constitute a thorough, modern industrial school, 
which, if properly supported and maintained by ade- 
quate appropriations from the State, will prove one of 
the most helpful factors in the educational and industrial 
progress of the State. 



SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY. 



THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION of the 
State of Louisiana, in 1S79, in its wisdom, estab- 
lished in the City of New Orleans an institution 
to be devoted to higher education of persons of color, to 
be entitled the Southern University. The support of this 
institution was secured by constitutional provision, en 
titling it to an annual appropriation for its current ex- 
penses, by the State Legislature, of not more than ten 
thousand dollars, nor less than five thousand dollars. 

At the session of the General Assembly of Louisiana, 
in April, 1S80, an act was passed, "To establish in the 



City of New Orleans, a university for the education of 
persons of color; and to provide for iP proper govern- 
ment." Although this charter was gotten out in Marnh, 
1SS1, we find that the school was in existence half a yiar 
or more previous to that date. For, on October 10th, 
1880, the Board of Trustees held a meeting and passed 
laws designating the proper officers of the Faculty of the 
school. And another meeting was held December 1st, 
1880. 

The school started in a very slow way at first, and 
continued at that pace for some years. 



232 



When the act was passed by the Legislature estab- 
lishing the school, through some oversight the idea 
seemed not to occur to any one that a building would 
be necessary in which this school should hold its daily 
session. A building was essential. The Board of Trus 
tees did about the only thing it could do under th-? 




Main Building Southern University and A. and 
M. College (Colored), New Orleans, La. 

circumstances. Money, annually appropriated to pa.' 
teachers' salaries, was applied to secure the first essen 
tial — a school building — although a number of teachers 
had to be dispensed with. 

A building was purchased on Calliope street, New 
Orleans, and as much money as could be spared was 



paid towards the same, while a mortgage was given on 
the house for the rest. 

There were no graduates of the school before 1S87. 
Since, and including 1902, the total from all departments 
is 213 graduations. The highest number for one year, 
32, was in 1902. 

The University now has an Agricultural Department 
on a farm of 100 acres, a Mechanical Department, a 
1 insmith Shop, a Printing Department, Dairy, and Girls' 
Industrial Department, supported Jointly by the Unite.! 
States and State Government. It has also the usual 
Academic Course. The attendance now is over 500. In 
the past five years the following amounts have been 
expended: 

On University main building $6,500 

On farm 4,500 

.Mechanical building 1,125 

Printing department 250 

Domestic Science and Girls' Industrial Depart- 
ment 1,000 

Physics and Chemistry 250 

Additional 500 

Total $14,125 

The sources of revenue for this institution are: from 
the State of Louisiana, regular appropriation, $10,000 
annually; from the United States Government, for in- 
dustrial work, a gradually increasing amount, from 
$11,200 to $1S,000 annually. 



233 







Shreveport High School. 



AN ANTE BELLUM COUNTRY HOME. 



234 



PRIVATE AND SECTARIAN SCHOOLS. 



Besides the above, the different denominations of 
the State have splendid schools and colleges. The 
Methodists have a male college, "Centenary," at Shreve- 
port, and a female college at Mansfield. The Baptists 
have a male college at Mt. Lebanon and a female college 
at Keatchie. The Catholics have a university and several 
colleges in New Orleans, Jefferson College at Convent 



and St. Charles College at Grand Coteau. They have 
numerous convents in New Orleans and convents in 
other cities and towns of the State. The Silliman Fe- 
male College at Clinton has long been a famous girls' 
school. Private schools are successfully conducted in 
New Orleans, Shreveport, Baton Rouge and other cities 
and towns of the State. 



TWO SPLENDID ADJUNCTS TO LOUISIANA'S EDUCATIONAL 

FORCES. 



Attention is called to Memorial Hall and the State 
Museum. 

The stranger, as he strolls up Camp street, is at- 
tracted by a peculiarly shaped building whose inviting 
appearance bids him enter. He soon discovers that he 
is in the midst of historical reminders that tell him of 
the glories of Louisiana, that point out a chivalry so 
transcendently brilliant that it has left a glow that 
sheds a brightness over the State's entire after-life, im- 
pressing upon the younger generations the sublime prin- 
ciples of virtue and manhood, a combination which 
practically is the bulwark of every country's safety and 
happiness. 

From these relics or reminders of a superb inherit- 
ance housed by the generosity of a progressive citizen 
of New Orleans and cared for by State appropriations. 



he can cross Canal street, stroll among the quaint but 
interesting reminders of French and Spanish domina- 
tion and enter the historic Cabildo and Presbytere. 

To Curator Robert Glenk we are indebted for the 
following: 

"The Cabildo and the Presbytere both belong to the 
City of New Orleans, but have been transferred to the 
Board of Curators for all time by act of the City Council 
in 1908." The following is a description of the museum 
and its workings given by Mr. Glenk to the Shreveport 
Times: 

One of the youngest of the State institutions devoted 
tQ the advancement of Louisiana along educational and 
commercial lines is the Louisiana State Museum at New 
Orleans. The museum owes its origin to the splendid 
collection of exhibits made at the World's Fair in St, 



235 



Louis In 1904, which at the close of the Fair were brought 
back and temporarily housed in the Washington Artillery 
Hall. Since then the collections have grown prodigiously, 
numbering at the present day over 15,000 items and oc- 
cupying 14,000 square feet of floor space. Within the 
past year, the City Council of New Orleans has trans- 
ferred to the Board of Curators of the State Museum the 
historic Cabildo and the Civil District Court buildings 
facing Jackson's Square, to permanently house the rap 



ter relating to Louisiana. In this building the transfer 
ceremonies took place when Louisiana was ceded to the 




High School, Baton Rouge. 

idly growing and valuable collections of the museum. 
The Cabildo will contain the precious historical mat- 









1 


lili 




;- - 


■ - . : - 





Silliman Female Collegiate Institute, Clinton. 

United States in 1803 and during the visit of General 
Lafayette to New Orleans it was the home of the dis- 
tinguished soldier. Being itself the most historical in the 
Mississippi Valley, it is eminently fitted to be the re- 
pository of the State's rich historical treasures. The 
Antommarchie bronze of Napoleon, presented to New Or- 
leans in 1S34 by the physician of the distinguished Cor- 
sican, is one of the valuable relics. 

Recently the museum has acquired extremely valuabie 



236 



documents, letters, commissions, edicts and Imprints of 
French and Spanish colonial Louisiana belonging to the 
Gaspar Cusacks, Major Robinson, T. P. Thompson, H. 
Gibbs Morgan, Jr., collections and to the Louisiana His- 
torical Society, U. S. Daughters of 1776-1812, and Dr. Jo- 
seph Jones. The museum also contains many maps of 
Louisiana, relics from the battlefield of Chalmette and 
Eugene Lami's famous picture of the Battle of New 
Orleans. 

The Art Department contains numerous paintings in 
oil and water color, engravings, sculpture and ceramics 
by some of the best of Louisiana's artists. One of the 
most noteworthy of the museum's exhibits is the large 
and comprehensive collection of relics of the mound- 
builders of Louisiana, embracing arrow points, axes, 
celts, ceremonial and game implements and pottery col- 
lected and loaned by Professor George Williamson of 
Natchitoches. 

The Natural History Department contains specimens 
of the common and many rare varieties of the animals, 
birds, fishes, reptiles, insects, shells, fossils and minerals, 
and of the plants, trees and cultivated crops. 

The Commercial Department contains manufactured 
articles made in Louisiana, together with numerous work- 
ing models, statistics and literature and a complete model 
of a cane sugar factory, rice mill and pumping plant and 
a cotton oil mill. 

The museum contains one of the best libraries in 
the South on science, technology, commercial and trade 



statistics, and the Bureau of Information Is at all times 
at the service of the public. 

During the winter months a series of free lectures are 
given by prominent lecturers at the museum on subjects 
dealing with the various activities of the several depart- 
ments. 

A series of publications based upon a natural history 
survey of the State is contemplated by the Museum 
Board. The first number, by Professor R. S. Cocks, has 
been issued and will be mailed to applicants in the 
State free. 




High School in Homer. 



237 




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238 



STATE INSTITUTIONS. 



INSTITUTE FOR THE DEAF AND DUMB. 

THIS INSTITUTION is located at Baton Rouge. 
The grounds and buildings are in excellent con- 
dotion. Its financial showing, and everything per- 
taining to its management are all that could be desired. 
Its class departments, oral teaching and industrial in- 
structions are conducted on both scientific and practical 
methods, and it has already sent out a number of expert 
and highly intelligent instructors and teachers from 
among its pupils. Its chief aim is to prepare its pupils 
for the affairs of life, and make them industrious and 
self-supporting citizens. Several industrial trades, such 
as furniture-making and wood-working, shoe-making 
and printing and typesetting, are taught with marked 
success, and it is hoped to further enlarge and extend 
these departments. 

INSTITUTE FOR THE BLIND. 

Situated at Baton Rouge, this institution does a great 
work in educating and fitting for various walks in life 
the unfortunate ones whose sight is gone. 

Like the other institution referred to above, one 
of the chief aims of the Institute for the Blind is, and 
should be, not only to educate, but to fit its pupils for 
the ordinary affairs of life, and make them self-sustain- 
ing. When there is any aptitude whatever, music is 
taught, and many of the pupils have attained great pro- 



ficiency upon several musical instruments. Wicker ana 
cane work are taught; also sewing, embroidery, etc., and 
the manufacture of brooms has become quite a factor 
in the industrial department. 

SOLDIERS' HOME. 

This institution is situated in New Orleans, and pro- 
vides a home for the disabled veterans of '.he Civil War 
who fought on the Confederate side, and whose homes 
were in Louisiana. A commodious two-story building 
has been erected, which has added much to the comfort 
of the inmates. 

As time moves on, the lines of those who followed 
Lee, Johnston and Jackson are growing thinner, and from 
the active walks of life the number of those disabled and 
infirm, and without the means of support, is gradually in- 
creasing. These veterans of the Lost Cause appeal not 
only to our charity, love and benevolence, but also to our 
sense of justice, and the State should always liberally 
provide for them, as care and want overtake them in 
their declining years. 

Article 302 of the present Constitution recognizes 
this Home as a State institution, and provides that it 
shall be maintained by the State by an annual appropria- 
tion which is to be based upon the number of inmates 
in the Home on the first day of April of the year in 
which the appropriation is made, of $130 per capita, for 
the maintenance rnd clothing of such inmates. 



239 



INSANE ASYLUM. 

This institution, located at Jackson, La., stands pre- 
eminently as a monument to the true charity and benevo- 
lence and exalted humanity of our people. Its fourteen 
hundred inmates are provided with a home, furnished 
with every modern convenience, presided over and di- 
rected by a superintendent and corps of assistants and 
attendants, who exercise kindly and even paternal super- 
vision over them. They are supplied with abundant 
pure water for all purposes, ample baths, electric lights, 
artificial heat, ice manufactured by the asylum, whole- 
some and abundant food, and healthful grounds and sur- 
roundings. Each individual inmate is made the object 
of investigation and study by the resident physician and 
his assistants, and as a result of skillful and painstaking 
treatment and attention, a very large percentage of the 
inmates are, from time to time, discharged as completely 
restored. If our people throughout the State could be- 
come more intimately acquainted with the details and 
management of this institution, the usual prejudice 
against it as a gloomy madhouse would be dispelled, 
and it would be seen to be what it is — a sanitarium ant 
home for those suffering from disordered and diseased 
minds. It would be a revelation to those who have never 
visited it, to observe the extent of its grounds, and the 
style and number of its handsome buildings, the com- 
pleteness of its equipment, its scrupulous cleanliness, and I 
its picturesque and beautiful situation and surroundings. 

The Legislature, at its session in 1902, passed an 
act providing for the building and establishing of an- 



oth« - Hospital for the Insane, near Alexandria, funds 
were appropriated and the work begun at once. At 'he 
extra session of the Legislature in 1903, another appro- 
priation was made to complete the buildings, and, lik3 
the Hospital for the Insane at Jackson, it is doing thor- 
ough work and is an institution that all Louisianians 
are proud of. 

CHARITY HOSPITAL, NEW ORLEANS, 

This hospital is situated in the City of New Orleans, 
and was established in 1832, being among the first free 
hospitals ever established in the United States. 

How well its obligation to humanity is performed 
is attested by the records of this institution. During the 
year 1904, there were 8,816 patients treated in the hos- 
pital, 19,302 in the outdoor clinics, 73,071 free consulta- 
tions given, and the ambulance service responded to 
1,596 calls. The hospital grounds embrace two squares, 
with ambulance house situated in a third square. The 
Richard Milliken Memorial Annex for Children has been 
recently built, and is thorough and modern in every ap- 
pointment. The Pasteur Department, which is also free, 
was added in 1903. 

Year by year, through the State's bounty, and with 
the assistance of donations from her philanthropic citi- 
zens, modern new buildings and equipments have been 
added, until our hospital stands among those at the head 
of the list of such institutions upon this continent. 

Its able board of administrators and officers, and 
skilled and experienced surgeons and physicians havo 



240 



&&L 




•' ■ - 






H. B.— 16 



COAL BARGES FROM PITTSBURG ON THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 



241 



for years past, maintained its well-established reputa- 
tion, and more deeply rooted this institution in the hearts 
of all our people. 

SHREVEPORT CHARITY HOSPITAL. 

Situated at Shreveport, Louisiana, is another hos- 
pital, whose charitable and benevolent work has spread 
wide all over Louisiana. A very modern four-room brick 
aseptic operating building has been erected and fur- 
nished with the latest and most improved paraphernalia 
and appurtenances. This has grown to be one of the 
lixed State institutions of north Louisiana, and its suc- 
cessful conduct, and the humane, skillful and scientific 
treatment of the indigent sick, and those requiring sur- 
gical attention, have grounded it deep in the affections 
of our people. It aiso affords the opportunity of splen- 
did training and practical experience to young men pur- 
suing the study of medicine and surgery. 

STATE PENITENTIARY AND CONVICT FARMS. 

The Legislature, at its session of 1SU0, passed an 
act carrying into effect the provision of the new Con- 
stitution, which prohibited any form of leasing State 
prisoners and directed that they be employed under 
absolute State control. It was determined to continue 
the work of State building only in so far as it could be 
furnished for such work, first-class men, graded physic- 
ally, and employ the rest in agriculture. For this lat- 
ter purpose, Angola plantation, embracing 8,000 acres of 
splendid alluvial land, on the Mississippi River, in West 
Feliciana parish, and Hope plantation, a sugar estate of 



some 2,800 acres, on Bayou Teche, Iberia parish, was 
purchased. These farms have now been in operation 
for several years, and the results are most gratifying. 
Cotton is the money crop raised on Angola and sugar 
on Hope. Another farm, Oakley, has been purchased 
in Iberville parish, and is now equipped as a penal 
farm. 

The crops sold and proceeds of levee work have 
brought in good revenues, besides the agricultural prod- 
ucts such as corn, potatoes, onions, etc., preserved for 
prison use, which aggregate a large value. The system 
now pays its own expenses of operation, and affords a 
surplus to complete payments on property purchased. 

The small factory at the Baton Rouge Penitentiary 
supplies the force with shoes and clothing. 

There have been constructed on these farms perma- 
nent quarters on the most approved sanitary lines. The 
prisoners are compelled to work, according to their 
strength, but they are provided with the best quality of 
food, all they can eat, including an abundance of vege- 
tables, and are well clothed and humanely treated. 

The late lamented Hon. S. M. Jones, at that time 
Mayor of Toledo, Ohio, known over the United States 
as "Golden Rule" Jones, after a recent visit to Hope 
convict farm, wrote an article for one of the leading 
journals of the East, and among other things said: 

"I have felt, because a great mass_ of the convicts 
of the South have been worked at outdoor employment 
that if they were badly treated they were not in the 



242 



long run as badly off as our convicts in the North, who 
are contracted out to work in dingy, ill-ventilated and 
disease-breeding shops, where they are doomed to 
breathe poisoned air and almost entirely shut out from 
ever seeing a ray of sunshine. I was, however, quite un- 



prepared to find that the State of Louisiana has taken 
a step in the matter of dealing with convicted human 
beings that easily places her a century ahead of the 
methods in common practice in the ordinary prisons 
North and South." 



NEW ORLEANS— THE METROPOLIS OF THE SOUTH. 



THE NEW ORLEANS of today is not the New 
Orleans of yesterday. The stirring times which 
marked the history of the metropolis from its 
very inception up to and including the year 1S74 
have passed into history, and only their echoes occa- 
sionally revive the spirit of sentiment and cause the 
ripples to spread out upon a sea of retrospection and 
then quiet down to a more material realization of the 
city, the position it occupies in the world of commerce, 
and the wonderful future which makes the horizon glow 
with all the radiance of a summer sunrise. 

First in the exportation of cotton and .grain, and 
of rice shipments, and second among the great ports of 
the L'nited States, New Orleans evidences her manifest 
destiny and makes positive the assertion of its people 
that her future commercially is "beyond the stars." 

The obliteration of yellow fever from the port of 
Havana which has, from time immemorial, been a' hot 
bed of "vomito," means that modern sanitation ami 
proper hygienic methods have, or will, obliterate the 
scourge from the face of the globe, and the success in 



Havana makes it beyond peradvanture that New Orleans 
may lay claim to an absolute freedom from future visita- 
tions of the fever. 

Climatic conditions during the winter and summer 
are conducive to health, and it will be found upon even 
a cursory examination of the health statistics that New 
Orleans today may claim .to be one of the healthiest 
cities in the New World. 

With 215 miles of paved streets and a constant exten- 
sion of the system brought about by modern conditions 
and demands, the institution of what is possibly one of 
the finest electrical street car systems in the world, and 
the establishment of several first-class hotels, has placed 
New Orleans in the first rank among its competitors of 
the country generally and considerably in advance of 
the other cities .of the South, all of which, however, are 
rapidly progressing to a splendid destiny. Modern steel- 
framed buildings have marked the passage of the last 
several years, and others now in progress indicate the 
strength of the confidence which is reposed in the city 
by outside capital, while the recent large additions made 



243 



to several of the local banks by New York capitalists 
may be taken as additional testimony of this fact. 

Among the institutions now working- energetically 
for the public good may be mentioned the New Orleans 
Progressive Union, which, with its 2,000 members, is 
undoubtedly the largest popular commercial body in the 
United States. Supported as it is by all classes of citi- 
zens and backed up by the best business blood and 
energy of New Orleans, this organization has been a 
power in local development, and has assumed a condiiton 
in the public mind and estimation that will continue its 
mission of good for years to come. By reason of its 
peculiar province it can, and does, with propriety, par- 
ticipate in all movements for the benefit of New Or- 
leans which would be impracticable to the purely trade 
associations, with which the city is very liberally sup- 
plied. The business exchanges, in the material upbuild- 
ing of New Orleans, represent a potent factor in the 
progression. 

New Orleans leads all ports of the United States in 
its export of grain and cotton. In 1903, the last statistics 
available, but the figures, though wonderfully increased 
since then, will give a correct idea of her vast possi- 
bilities, she exceeded New York nearly 5,000,000 bushels 
of grain, and has outstripped all other ports, including 
Galveston, in the quantity of cotton handled, New 
Orleans forwarding 2,380,431 bales. This report fully 
exemplifies the contention which the people of New- 
Orleans and of the West generally have made regarding 
the superior facilities of the Louisiana metropolis in the 



matter of all shipping. The superb natural harbor, well 
removed from the storms, and the conditions frequently 
put into being thereby; possessing a water front of fully 
thirty miles and some eight miles of magnificent 
wharves; permanent deep water and a freedom from 
the ordinary inconveniences which affect the other parts 
of the United States, New Orleans is justly entitled to the 
distinction it claims for itself and which actual condi- 
tions have manifested. 

Prior to the war, the port of New Orleans was 
easily the first port in the United States from all points 
of view. The fact that the commodities of the Missis- 
sippi Valley were handled by sailing vessels, made the 
individual carrier a prominent factor in the commercial 
development of the city, and thousands of this character 
of craft frequented the harbor at all seasons of the year, 
conveying practically the entire cotton crop of the South 
and the sugar of Louisiana, to distant markets, and 
bringing in return articles of import destined for con- 
sumption or use by the entire population along the Mis- 
sissippi River, its tributary streams and contiguous 
territory. 

The vicissitudes of the war, the practical oblitera- 
tion of the merchant marine, and the transfer of the 
American shipping to foreign control, naturally operated 
to the vast detriment of the Mississippi River port. The 
revival of the shipping industry, the rapid increase of 
trade which followed the close of the war, and the de- 
velopment of the rail arteries of commerce, gradually 
caused New Orleans to assume its old position, although 



244 




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the rapid development of the Atlantic coast ports natur- 
ally precluded the supremacy which the Louisiana city 
once enjoyed in the direction indicated. New Orleans 
is possibly better located, as a port of entry and place 
of export, than any of its competitors of the Gulf Coast, 
or any of the ports of the Atlantic Seaboard. 

This is due to the fact that railroads centering: in 
New Orleans, ramifying- with their direct lines, their 
affiliating lines and their connections, every important 
section south of the Ohio River; the entire Mississippi 
Valley as far north as Minnesota, and the great grain 
and cotton region of the infinite West. Sixteen thousand 
miles of navigable waterways and a rail mileage of 
nearly thirty thousand miles, coupled with the cheap 
rates this combination places in effect, is responsible for 
the rapid growth of the city's commerce and the envi- 
able position it occupies in the shipping world. 

During the fiscal year ended June 30th, 1903, there 
entered and cleared in the port of New Orleans, coast- 
wise and foreign, 2,677 ships, with a total tonnage of 
4,569,273. These totals, while a trifle less than the pre- 
ceding year, were due to a decrease in the production of 
grain and cotton, which decrease was shared in, to a 
much greater extent, by the other ports of the United 
States. 

The total business of New Orleans of all kinds 
covering the same period was as follows: 



Received. Value. 

Receipts from the interior by river and rail. .$191,523,312 

Imports, coastwise 68,480,026 

Imports, foreign 28,914,556 

Total receipts $2SS, 917,991 

Shipped. Value. 

Shipped to interior by river and rail $ 85,417,665 

Exports, coastwise 55,212,343 

Exports, foreign • 145,S93,764 

Total of shipments $286,523,777 

Grand total of trade $575,441,669 

During the period referred to above, New Orleans 
increased its total trade over 1899-1900 in the sum of 
$'26,568,324. 

The total railroad tonnage handled by the Southern 
Pacific, Texas Pacific, Illinois Central, Yazoo & Missis- 
sippi Valley, Louisville & Nashville, New Orleans & 
Northeastern and minor roads, aggregated 7,SOO,00 tons, 
same representing the quantities receievd and forwarded. 

The total domestic exports for the twelve months 
ending July 31st 1903, represent $14S,609,629, which does 
not include $2,145,133, covering exports through New 
Orleans to the ports of Porto Rico. 

During the same period, cotton in the sum of 992,- 
905,855 pounds, with a valuation of $S2,000,000, was ex- 



246 




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247 



ported to the countries of Europe, Mexico, Japan, and 
the British East Indies. 

In this connection it must be borne in mind that the 
regular lines of communication between New Orleans 
and the ports of the world are represented by thirty 
steamship lines, many of them using vessels capable of 
carrying 30,000 bales of cotton, and having a net ton- 
nage of 7,500 tons. 

Regular lines of communication have been estab- 
lished between the ports of the United States and the 
ports of Porto Rico, while regular sailings to Cuban 
ports or Central American ports have been a feature of 
the business of New Orleans for a great many years. 

Owing to its proximity to the great eoffee-producin? 
area of the tropics. New Orleans last year handled 
150,000,000 pounds of coffee, reshipping a large percent- 
age of this to the consuming centers of the Mississippi 
Valley, the Trans-Mississippi country and other portions 
of the South. The city also handled 321,000,000 pounds. 
of sugar, which was imported chiefly from the islands 
of Cuba and one or two of the coast cities of the republic 
of Mexico. 

The imports generally show a very gratifying in- 
crease, and the possibilities are that these figures will 
be materially enlarged when the figures for the next 
fiscal year are made public. 

As an indication of the value of its imports, it may 
be stated that for the year ending July 31st, 1903, the 
customs receipts of this port were $7,630,941, and articles 
free of duty were imported in the sum of $14,011,988. 



During the same period, 11,000,000 pounds of lemons; 
284,000 square yards of matting; 1S,000,000 pounds of 
salt, and nearly 300,000 pounds of leaf tobacco were im- 
ported; 7,000,000 bunches of bananas and 7,000,000 cocoa- 
nuts were imported from the tropical ports and reshipped 
to all portions of the West and the great Mississippi 
Valley. 

It is also through the port of New Orleans that the 
great bulk of the mahogany imported into this country 
is handled. This beautiful wood is converted by the 
manufacturers of the West and North into handsome 
furniture, and reshipped into all portions of the South 
in its finished condition, it commanding high prices owing 
to its superiority over all other woods. The Spanish 
cedar, logwood, a variety of dye woods, and an immense 
amount of raw rubber is handled through New Orleans 
intended for distribution to oth;r portions of the United 
States. 

In connection with the rice industry and the possi- 
bilities contained therein as a matter of export, it mav 
be of interest to know that the rice fields of southwest 
Louisiana and southern Texas have r( 'olutionized the 
industry, so far as the United States is concerned. New 
Orleans, during the twelve months ending July 31st, 
1903, handled nearly 2,500,000 barrels of rough rice, 
weighing from 162 to 181 pounds per barrel, reducing to 
pockets of one hundred pounds of first-class clean rice. 

The total production of Louisiana and Texas last 
year was in the neighborhood of 4,500,000 bags or bar- 
rels. Owing to the stringency in the rice supplies of 



248 



Porto Rico and the Philippine Islands, large quantities 
of Louisiana rice were shipped (or consumption in these 
two countries last year. 

An indication of the rapid increase in the port facili- 
ties and the general business of New Orleans may be 
found in the bank clearings of the city. For the year 
1903 the bank clearings approximated $827,710,850, an 
increase over the previous year of $155,350,273, the post- 
office cash receipts showed an increase of 47 per cent 
since 1S97, while the receipts of all mail showed an in- 
crease of 60 per cent covering the same period. 

The city contains 1,700 manufacturing enterprises, 
wit" a capital of $60,000,000, employing 25,000 persons 
ana producing 175 different articles with a total value 
of nearly $70,000,000 per annum. The value of the cot- 
ton seed oil products is $5,000,000 annually. 

Last year $100,000 was spent by the United States 
Government for harbor improvements, and the same 
amount will ae expended by the end of the present year. 

The city is erecting a system of steel sheds to care 
for the commodities handled both for export and import, 
these sheds. begin under the direction of the Dock Com- 
mission. 

The recent improvement of terminals by several of 
the great railway trunk lines has secured a compara- 
tively free dockage for vessels which make use of these 
terminals and this will prove a material factor in shap- 
ing the ultimate destiny of the port of New Orelans. 

A very gratifying feature of the improvement of 
tha harbor of New Orleans may be found in the appro- 

249 



priation of nearly $3,000,000. This money is to be applied 
to the harbor direct and to the mouth of the river. The 
entrance through the jetties at present commands a 
depth of nearly 29 feet, and it is the intention of the 
United States Engineers to extend this depth so as to 
permit vessels drawing 35 feet of water, if needs be, to 
enter the river and ascend to the city of New Orleans. 

The improvement also contemplates the deepening 
of Southwest Pass, which will be done through a system 
of deep dredging. This mouth of the river l.as, it is 
considered, remarkable advantages and it is believed will 
scour itself to a sufficient depth within a few years to 
admit vessels of any possible draft. 

By the sale of bonds $12,000,000 has been realized 
and an additional sum of $5,836,000 will accrue to the 
bond issue by revenues received from other sources. 
This grand aggregate will be expended in furnishing the 
city of New Orleans with a complete system of water, 
sewerage and drainage, and contracts were made but a 
few days since covering the immediate expenditure of 
$1,500,000. 

The entire matter will not be finally concluded before 
1908, but when the same shall have been finished, New 
Orleans will have an absolutely perfect hygienic and 
sanitary system of sewerage and drainage, and one 
which will command the admiration and attention of 
the entire country. 

The social life of New Orleans, while differing but 
little in regard to its general aspects from the other 
large cities of the United States, has a number of dis- 



tinctive and characteristic features which go tar towards 
making its socjal institutions and functions peculiarly 
delightful. 

Naturally the great social feature of New Orleans 
is the "Mardi Gras," and in this distinction New Or- 
leans has achieved a fame which has not been, and is 
not, limited by boundary or country. 

This Mardi Gras is conceded by all who have wit- 
nessed it to be the mo^t unique festival of the new 
world, and today its brilliant proportions exceed even 
the similar celebrations which have made the cities of 
Florence, Rome and Venice by-words in the mouth of 
Europe. Nowhere else could the Mardi Gras prosper. 
Nowhere else can the spirit of the . ceasion find its being 
and animate the hearts of a half million persons, as it 
does in the Crescent City during the festival week. In 
this spirit does the many colored celebrations live and 
grow. It is no cold, calculating entertainment, but it 
is the outcome of a century's effort in which the warm 
hearts of a semi-tropical population play a most impor- 
tant part. 

Containing many first-class social organizations; pro- 
vided with handsome hotels; possessing a half dozen 
modern, up-to-date theatres, including the celebrated old 
French Opera House, and, in addition to the constantly 
changing attractions, a brilliant season of French Opera, 
it follows that New Orleans must, during three-fourths 
of the year, contain an element of attraction for almost 
any individual alive. 

Its climatic conditions, making it a city of the "out j 

250 



of doors," even when the remainder of the country is 
winter bound, combine to make it a favorite resort for 
persons living north and east who find the winters of 
their own particular section arduous and unbearable. 

As a winter resort, New Orleans is easily the most 
delightful city in the entire country', as, in addition to 
natural features w-hich make it possible for the visitor 
to enjoy the climate under clear blue skies, it possesses 
every element of modern existence which the man or 
woman of wealth or culture enjoys. 

Society in New Orleans is naturally hospitable, as 
that being a feature of its individual life could not fail 
to become a part of its social existence. The entire 
winter is characterized by a brilliant round of social 
functions in which the various social organizations plav 
a distinct part. 

Another feature of New Orleans, which has proved 
the means of attracting a large winter attendance, is 
found in the one hundred days of winter racing. The 
New Orleans Meeting, under the auspices of the New 
Orleans Jockey Club, has for years been attaining a 
degree of excellence, until today the winter season of 
New Orleans is proving an attraction too potent to be 
disregarded by the lovers of this character of amuse- 
ment. 

Possessing two magnificent parks, and unexcelled 
methods of rapid transit, with a score of smaller breath- 
ing spots; two splendid resorts on Lake Pontchartrain, 
and but a short distance from the best salt water fishing 
and hunting grounds in the South, it follows that tha 



visitor, either summer or winter, may find much to 
amuse or entertain. 

NEW ORLEANS AND THE ISTHMIAN CANAL. 

The definite establishment of the Panama Canal 
route naturally attracted considerable attention on the 
part of the United States to New Orleans, because of that 
port's proximity to the proposed water way and its 
magnificent rail and water connections with the Mis- 
sissippi Valley and the States of the entire Trans - 
Mississippi country. 

New Orleans, the second port of the country, will 
undoubtedly leap into a wonderful prominence and pros- 
perity by reason of the construction of the Isthmian 
Canal, and this fact is recognized by the railroad lines 
leading into that city, having north and south connec- 
tions and penetrating that vast territory west of a line 
drawn through Chicago, Indianapolis, Frankfort, Ky., 
and Charleston, this tremendous area being nearer New 
Orleans than to New York, and in a position to do busi- 
ness through the great southern port to all portions or 
the world, and particularly with the Central American 
and Pacific States and Countries. 

A comparison of the following table of distances will 
exhibit at once the advantage of New Orleans over its 
competitors in relation to business routed through the 
canal and indicates the possibilities of trade through 
that port. 



From To Colon. 

Boston ; 2,165 miles. 

Xew York 1,981 

Philadelphia 1,960 

Norfolk 1,779 

Charleston 1,580 

Savannah 1.5S6 

Galveston 1,481 

Port Arthur 1,465 

Xew Orleans 1,380 

According to these figures New Orleans is 601 miles 
nearer Colon than is New York; and 101 miles nearer 
than Galveston, the two great competitors of the Louis- 
iana seaport. 

Dr. Emory R. Johnson, in the report of the Isthmian 
Canal Commission, in a discussion of the subject, among 
other things, says that, "while distance is not the only 
factor in determining the direction in which traffic wiii 
move, passing through the canal, it will be one factor, 
and undoubtedly the proximity of the industrial centers 
of the Central States to the Gulf cities, will greatly 
assist those ports and the railways leading to them in 
securing' a large share of the South American and Pacific 
trade. The Gulf ports have the advantage of being abl? 
to bring railway cars and steamers, side by side, at 
capacious terminals, at which freight can be handled 
very economically, and this advantage will probably 
assist the commercial progress of New Orleans and other 
cities in their efforts to command Pacific Ocean traffic.'' 

The position of New Orleans, in dir . touch with 



251 



the great cotton producing and lumber areas of the 
South, and being the southern terminal of several of the 
great rail lines penetrating the grain fields of the West, 
will naturally redound to its advantage. The industrial 
centers of the Mississippi, Ohio and Missouri Valleys, 
being nearer to New Orleans than to any of the ports 
of the East and North Atlantic, it may be considered 
as among the probabilities that the factory products of 
these sections will, in addition to the agricultural prod- 
ucts. And their way for export through New Orleans. 

The determination of the Southern Railway, Frisco 
and Rock Island systems to combine in the purchase of 
the great terminal property, owned originally by the 
Port Chalmette Company, and the work of bringing 
the Frisco-Rock Island into New Orleans, is undoubt- 
edly due to a recognition of the position occupied by 
New Orleans in relation to the Panama Canal. These 
terminals, with subsequent purchases, represent several 
million dollars, but they give to the combine a complete 
control of over three miles of river front within the 
commercial area of Xew Orleans and places it in a com- 
manding position to control trade when the business be- 
gins to move. Good judgment and a recognition of 
what the next decade will bring forth, undoubtedly domi- 
nated the action of the combine, but this action will 
assist in making New Orleans one of the finest shipping 
points in the United States, as well as adding to its 
commerce the traffic of three of the most extensive rail- 
way systems in the South and West. 

In a consideration of the situation as regards New 



Orleans and the Isthmian Canal, it must be remembered 
that the port in question is in a position to command a 
large portion of the cotton export business, fully fifty- 
four per cent of the staple being grown in fields almost 
contiguous to the city. The bulk of the cotton goods 
exported chiefly to China and Japan goes via New York, 
although much of it is manufactured by Southern mills, 
reaching its destination through the Suez Canal. With 
the construction of the canal, the commodities will more 
naturally find their way to destination via the new route. 

Direct lumber shipments from New Orleans and 
near-by ports will also make up considerable of the 
exports to the Pacific Coast of South and Central Amer- 
ica, while Southern fertilizer will find nearer markets in 
Hawaii and on the Pacific, raw materials from Chili 
being placed in our own markets at a much cheaper rate. 
So, too, will the exportation of packing house products 
materially increase through New Orleans for points in 
the Orient and on the Pacific as well as to South America. 

The value of the canal will be incalculable to New 
Orleans, and to the South generally. It will ally the vast 
central areas of this country with New Orleans, making 
it the half-way house for both exports and imports, and 
the new conditions will undoubtedly place the Southern 
ports in a better position to control their legitimate share 
of the imports, which now enter this country through 
New York and San Francisco. 

Work is progressing on the canal and the rail lines 
will be the first influences to contribute to the supremacy 
of Xew Orleans, for with an eye always open to trade 



253 




BIRD'S-EYE VIEW OF SHREVEPORT — PARISH COURT HOUSE IN FOREGROUND. 



possibilities, they will be compelled to maintain every 
possible convenience in order to secure a share of the 
tremendous traffic which will be handled through the 
greatest port in the South. 

Besides a terminal station, the greatest of sugar re- 
fineries and many other great business structures, a 



magnificent court house has been completed, one of the 
handsomest of the kind in the entire country. A superb 
postoffice is in course of construction and an immigra- 
tion station will soon be built. Thus the great Southern 
metropolis is keeping an even pace with the most pro- 
gressive of cities. 



SH REVEPORT. 



SHREVEPORT, the metropolis of North Louisiana, 
is situated on the Red River, in Caddo Parish, 
the northwest corner parish of the State, ad- 
joining Texas and Arkansas. The city has a 
population of about 30,000, and no other in the State has 
grown so rapidly within the past five years. In the 
spring of 1902, because of glaring errors made in the 
enumeration taken by the United States census takers, 
its citizens made an enumemration of their own, which 
was duly attested in an affidavit signed by the then may- 
or, Benjamin Holzman, in which the city was given a 
population of 24,364. So rapidly has it grown within the 
past few years that there are known to be fully 30,000 
inhabitants there today. Seven railroad systems bring 
eleven different lines of railroad into Shreveport, and 
the Red River, being navigable the year round, affords 
the city over 1,000 miles of tributary coast line, making 
it one of the most important distributing points in the 
entire South. 

Shreveport has the best gas and electric lighting 
systems of any city of its size, perhaps, in the South. 



Natural gas abounds and is being used for illumination. 
Its electric railway system of eleven miles cannot well 
be surpassed. There are 6.7 miles of paved streets and 
a new, first-class sewer system of over nine miles. There 
are ttvo telephone systems, more large office buildings, 
more and better hotels than in any city of its size any- 
where in the South. The waterworks system is most 
adeq late, and the chemical examination shows that the 
water is as pure as any furnished to other cities in the 
Gulf States. The public school system is most excellent, 
culminating in a splendid new high school. All the 
different religious denominations are represented with one 
or more churches. 

The rate of mortality for white and negro population 
is 15.76 per thousand, less than that of tl.a city of 
Chicago, which is 16.3, which is lower than the rate 
of any other large city in the Union. The white mor- 
tality rate of Shreveport is only 9. The money to build 
a lerge garbage crematory was provided by the City 
Council. While Shreveport has many factories, among 
which are three breweries, many cotton compresses and 



254 





Parish High School at Monroe. 



PARK VIEW HIGH SCHOOL, SHREVEPORT. 




265 



A Group of Polled Durhams, from the Mayer 
Place, Near Shreveport. 



cotton oil mills and a large number of manufacturing 
".oncerns that use cotton and wood, there is still room 
for many more, and the citizens of Shreveport have 
banded together in an organization called the Shreve- 
port Progressive League for the purpose of securing 
them, inducing immigration into this community and 
obtaining additional commercial and industrial enter- 
prises of all sorts. 



Through the concerted efforts of its citizens it has 
been proven that both cigar filler and cigar wrapper 
tobacco, as good as that grown in the Vuelta Abajo dis- 
trict of Cuba, can be grown here, while a concern, the 
Edler Cigar Company, has been organized and is manu- 
facturing cigars from this tobacco in Shrevport. 



BATON ROUGE. 



One of the best combined financial, industrial, edu- 
cational, agricultural, commercial and social centers in 
the lower middle South. 

Baton Rouge and its suburbs has a population of 
20,000. Its death rate is less than 12 per 1,000; its 
water 99 per cent pure. Baton Rouge is on the edge 
of the rice and sugar belts, is in the heart of the cotton 
belt and contiguous to the largest uncut hardwood tract 
left in the South 

Baton Rouge has six trunk lines of railroad ana is on 
the Mississippi, a port of entry with 45 feet the year 
round to the Gulf. 

Baton Rouge is within eighty miles of the city market.s 
of New Orleans for truck, dairy products, feed stuffs 
and other farm products; within a night-run of the 
Memphis market, twenty-two hours from Chicago. 

Baton Rouge has: 

The Louisiana State University. 

The State Experiment Station. 



A federal farm demonstrator employed by the parish. 

The State capitol. 

Institutes for the Blind and for the Deaf and Dumb. 

Handsome federal building, city hall and a new court 
house planned. 

Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, Episcopal, 
Christian, Christian Science and Jewish churches. 

City high school and ward auxiliary graded schools, 
with nine months' terms; country district schools, with 
free transportation by van. 

Catholic preparatory schools for girls and boys. 

Good roads, free local and rural delivery; good local 
newspapers, the metropolitan papers reaching here from 
New Orleans on day of publication. 

Complete water, sewerage, gas, electric light and 
power, telephone, fire alarm service; excellent street car 
service; paved streets and graveled streets. 

Four banking institutions with combined resources 



256 



amounting to nearly three million; while the banks or 
New Orleans are familiar with and deal in the territory. 
The Standard Oil's largest Mississippi Valley plant, 
where, by pipe line from the Oklahoma, Caddo and Texas 
Melds, the crude oil is brought for refining, manufactured 
into by-products, and is then shipped by sea and rail to 
all parts of the world. 



Also, cotton, lumber and agricultural products, manu- 
facturing plants, jobbing houses in groceries, hardware 
and dry goods. 

Baton Rouge has twenty-five passenger trains a day. 

Vessels sail from Baton Rouge to the ports of the 
seven seas. 



NEW IBERIA 



New Iberia is in the heart of the famous Attakapas 
country and fringing the headwaters of Bayou Teche, 
a stream made renowned by the matchless idyl Evange- 
line of the poet Longfellow. 

Alternately settled and owned by Spain and France, 
retaining today some of the characteristics of vivacity, 
good cheer, of profound sympathies and deep emotion, 
the visiting stranger becomes absorbed in the overwhelm- 
ing hospitality attached to his reception and entertain- 
ment. 

Within a radius of twenty-five miles we have some 
of the biggest sugar refineries of the sugar belt, and 
some of the largest saw mills and sash, door and blind 
factories in the South. 

The city proper is supplied with first-class banking 
facilities. The three national banks having a combined 
capital of $200,000 and a surplus of nearly $550,000, with 
deposits of a million. 

Within the corporate limits there are three big, mod- 
ern, well-equipped saw mills doing an interstate and 



exporting business amounting to nearly one and one- 
half million dollars annually, two foundries, one wagon 
factory, one coffin manufactory, two "ice factories, five 
bottling works, one corn shucker, one rice mill, two gins 
and one cotton seed oil crusher, two newspapers and a 
truck growers' journal with a score of lesser establish- 
ments that keep the city a-humming and on the move 
the year round. 

Seventy-two stores or general merchandise establish- 
ments attend the wants of the agriculturists, truck 
farmers and dairy men, who abound in large num- 
bers, as the ownership of land is spread in countless 
subdivisions that make the small land owner independent 
and a healthy economic factor in the development of the 
country and city. 

Bayou Teche, one of the most ravishing scenic rivers, 
is navigable for twelve months and bears upon its bosom 
over $12,000,000 worth of interchangeable commodities 
and articles of commerce a year. 

Without going into details and accentuating the sol- 



H. B.— 17 



257 



vent points of our surrounding scenic landscapes, New 
Iberia possesses advantages exclusive to her location 



and need only to be seen and known to gain appreciation 
and value by the prospective home-seeker and investor. 



LAKE CHARLES. 



Lake Charles is the center of the largest lumber 
manufacturing interests in the Southern States. The 
mills are modern, automatic, and of large capacity. Has 




Library at Lake Charles. 



the largest rice mill in the United States. Has steam 
mill for sash, doors and woodworking. There is one 
fence factory, two foundries, one diffusion sugar factory, 
one brickyard, two steam laundries, and car shops. There 
are three public school buildings and one college, twelve 
churches, of all denominations, two daily and five weekly 
newspapers, three banks, twelve miles of street railway. 
Has an extensive electric system; electric lights, water- 
works, and ice plant. There are three trunk lines con- 
necting the town T.ith all the great markets of the West 
and South, North and East: The Southern Pacific Rail- 
way, the Kansas City Southern and the Kansas City, 
Watkins and Gulf. On the east and south of the town 
are fertile prairies, while on the north are splendid pine 
timber lands. The Calcasieu River passes by the city, 
and is about 600 feet broad and 60 feet deep. At th = 
outlet the United States Government is now constructing 
jetties, which will make Calcasieu Harbor one of the 
finest on the Mexican Gulf. 



25S 



ALEXANDRIA 



Alexandria, on the Red River, is the geographical 
center of the State, and the principal city of Middle 
Louisiana. It is one of the largest railroad centers in the 
State, having six railroad systems. It is surrounded by 
one of the richest agricultural sections in the world, the 
Valley of the Red River, which has gained for itself the 
sobriquet of "the Valley of the Red Nile." It has four 
banks, a cotton compress, two cotton-seed oil mills, two 
bottling works, two steam laundries, five planing mills, a 
large saw mill, iron foundry, coffee roasting, brick fac- 



tory, ice factory, feed mill and canning factory. Within 
a radius of fifty miles of Alexandria there are forty-five 
saw mills, with a daily output of over two million feet 
of lumber. The city owns and controls its own electric 
light plant and its waterworks. It has a fifty thousand 
dollar high school building, hundred thousand dollar 
court house, nine miles of sewerage, seventy thousand 
square yards of asphalt paving, seven blocks of vitrified 
brick and twenty- three blocks of graveled streets. 



MONROE. 



This city, situated in the northern part of the State, 
has three banks, two building and loan associations; two 
compresses, two bottling works, two machine shops, two 
oil mills, four lumber mills, three shingle mills, three 
sash and door factories, one fifty-ton ice plant, one mo- 
lasses factory, one cotton mill, one brick plant, eleven 
wholesale establishments to look after jobbing interests, 
V., S. & P. railroad shops, St. L., I. M. & S. railway shops 
and division terminals, twelve miles sanitary sewers, 
paved and graveled streets, electric street car line, fire- 
proof city market, large ■■ nd handsome church buildings 



of all denominations. Monroe and Little Rock Railroad, 
and Monroe and Southwestern Railroad both have their 
headquarters at Monroe. The city and parish high 
school buildings as fine as any in the State; tuition abso- 
lutely free. Stock raising and truck farming in this 
parish are proving profitable and a great success. Fruit 
of all kinds can be grown in abundance. Water prac- 
tically pure. Health will compare with any city its size, 
North or West, and we invite the closest scrutiny of 
health conditions. 



259 



BU N KIE, 



Bunkie, the largest town in Avoyelles parish, is situ- 
ated in the heart of the alluvial lands, on the main line 
of the Texas and Pacific Railroad, and is the headquar- 
ters of two branch lines, one running northeast and the 
other southwest. 

This growing little city has a population of about 
two thousand and has two flourishing banks with deposits ' 
of over half a million dollars; has one of the largest 
cotton ginneries in the State. The Union Oil Company 



has a cotton seed oil mill located here; fifty thousand 
tons of cane are shipped annually from this point besides 
that which is crushed by the two central refineries of 
G. W. Sentell and the Knolls Planting Company. 

The town has churches of every denomination, and 
one of the largest schools in the State. It is surrounded 
by large cotton and sugar plantations, well Improved, 
and in a high state of cultivation. 



LOUISIANA'S RAILROADS. 



THERE are In Louisiana over 7,000 miles of oper- 
ated mileage of railroads, reaching all portions 
of the State, and affording quick transporta- 
tion. Many of these roads are the great trunk 
lines of the North, and run direct trains to the great 
cities of the North and West. Probably no influence in 
Louisiana has been more far-reaching than the generous 
and liberal attitude of the railroads in encouraging immi- 
grants to come into Louisiana. We find the country 
along these lines building up rapidly with thriving towns 
and prosperous people. Fast daily trains connect the 
truck growing sections of the State with Northern mar- 
kets, and this Industry has grown to enormous pro- 
portions along the lines of the Illinois Central, the Kan- 



sas City, Watkins and Gulf, and is being developed 
along all the north and south railroads running through 
Louisiana. 

The Illinois Central System. 

This system has two trunk lines extending from the 
City of New Orleans. The eastern line enters the State 
of Mississippi near Osyka. 

It passes through the parishes of this State, the sta- 
tions being New Orleans; Sauve and Kenner, Jefferson 
parish; Frenier and Manchac, St. John's Parish, and 
Ponchatoula, Hammond, Tickfaw, Independence, Amite 
City, Areola, Tangipahoa and Kentwood, in Tangipahoa 
parish. 



260 



This route penetrates the States of Mississippi, Ten- 
nessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Iowa, Wiscon- 
sin and South Dakota, and touches the borders of Ar- 
kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Minnesota. The west- 
ern line of this system, or the Yazoo and Mississippi 
Valley Railroad, extends along or near the Mississippi 
River from New Orleans to Memphis, Tenn., having two 
tap lines in Louisiana, and a nunber of branch roads In 
Mississippi. 

It passes through ten parishes of this State, the 
following being the most important stations along the 
line: New Orleans, in Orleans parish; Kenner, Jefferson 
parish; Sarpy, St. Charles parish; St. Peters and Bonnet 
Carre, St. John parish; Angelina and Convent, St. James 
parish; Burnside, New River and Lane Postoffice, As- 
cension parish; Iberville and St. Gabriel, Iberville parish; 
Gardere, Baton Rouge, Baker and Zachary, East Baton 
Rouge parish; Slaughter, Lindsay, Ethel, Clinton, Wil- 
son and Norwood, East Feliciana parish, and Bayou 
Sara and Laurel Hill, in West Feliciana parish. 

The Queen and Crescent System. 

The Queen and Crescent System embraces the New 
Orleans and Northeastern, and the Vicksburg, Shreve- 
port and Pacific lines, which extend through the State. 

The New Orleans and Northeastern passes through 
two parishes. The important stations are, New Orleans, 
Slidell and West Pearl River stations, in St. Tammany 
parish. It enters the State of Mississippi at East Pearl 
River. 



The Vicksburg, Shreveport and Pacific line extends 
from Vicksburg, Miss., to Shreveport, and passes through 
eight parishes, having connections with Gibbs' Station 
to Homer; from Gibbs' Station to Bienville, and from 
Sibley or Minden Junction to MInden. 

The most important are Delta, Tallulah, Barnes, Dal- 
las and Waverly, in Madison parish; Delhi, Rayville and 
Girard, in Richland parish; Gordon, Monroe, Cheniere 
and Calhoun, in Ouachita parish; Choudrant, Ruston, 
Allen, Greene and Simsboro, in Lincoln parish; New 
Arcadia, Gibbs, Taylors and Bienville, in Bienville par- 
ish; Homer, in Claiborne parish; Dubberly, Sibley, Doyle 
and Minden, in Webster parish; Houghton and Bodcaw, 
in Bossier parish; and Shreveport, in Caddo parish. 

The East Louisiana Railroad extends from West Pearl 
River Station, on the New Orleans and Northeastern line 
of the Queen and Crescent route, to Covington, and lies 
within St. Tammany parish. Its principal stations are 
WeJ Pearl River, Abita and Covington, and it passes 
through the heart of the famous "ozone" belt. 

The Louisville and Nashville Route. 

This great trunk line penetrates the States of Mis- 
sissippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky and Illinois. It 
passes through two parishes and enters the State of 
Mississippi at the mouth of Pearl River. 

The stations along this line are New Orleans, Lee, 
Gentilly, Chef Menteur, Lake Catherine and Rigolets, in 
Orleans parish, and Lookout, in St. Tammany parish. 



261 



The Texas and Pacific Route. 

The Texas and Pacific Railway extends from New 
Orleans in a northwestern direction and enters the Statc- 
of Texas near Waskom Station. It has five branch roads 
in the State: Cypress to Lake End, Mansfield Junction 
to Mansfield, Bunkie to Marksville and Simmsport, Baton 
Rouge Junction to Farriday Junction, and Donaldsonville 
to Thibodaux. The branch from Baton Rouge Junction 
to Farriday Junction, will, as soon as a connecting link 
is made, be a part of the main line of the new Gould 
line (Memphis, Helena and New Orleans Railroad), St. 
Louis to New Orleans. 

This route passes through nineteen parishes; the 
principal stations are New Orleans, in Orleans parish; 
Gouldsboro and Gretna, in Jefferson parish; Davis, St 
Charles and Dugan, St. Charles parish; St. John and 
Johnson, St. John parish; Vacherie, Delogney, St. James 
and Winchester, St. James parish; Thibodaux, Lafourche 
parish; Napoleonville, Assumption parish; Donaldsonville 
and McCalls, Ascension parish; White Castle, Bayou 
Goula, Indian Village, Plaquemine and Grosse Tete, Iber- 
ville parish; Baton Rouge 'Junction, Brusly Landing, 
Port Allen and Lobdell, West Baton Rouge parish; Mar- 
ingouin, Fordoche, New Roads and Torras, Pointe Coupee 
parish; Blackhawk and Ferriday Junction, Concordia 
parish; Melville, Rosa and Morrows, St. Landry parish: 
Bunkie, Cottorport, Mansura, Marksville and Simmes- 
port, Avoyelles parish; Cheney ville, Lecompte, Moreland, 
Alexandria find Boyce, Rapides parish; Cypress, Proven- 
cal, Robeline and Natchitoches, Natchitoches parish; 



Lake End, Red River parish; Sodus, Sabine parish; Ox 
ford, Mansfield, Grand Cane, Gloster and Stonewall, De 
Soto parish; and Keithville, Reisor, Shreveport, Jewella, 
Becks and Greenwood in Caddo parish. 

The Southern Pacific Route. 

This line extends from New Orleans in a westerly 
direction, and has the following branches leading from 
the main line: From Schriever to Thibodaux and Napo- 
leonville, from Schriever to Houma, from Baldwin Sta- 
tion to Weeks Island, from New Iberia to Petit Anse 
Island (or Avery's Salt Mines), another to Abbeville, 
and another from Cade's Station to St. Martinville and 
Breaux Bridge, and an extensive line from Lafayette to 
Cheneyville, connecting there with the Texas and Pacific 
Route, and from Crowley to Eunice, in St. Landry parish, 
and to Gueydan and Lake Arthur, In Vermilion. The 
Southern Pacific passes through thirteen parishes, and 
the main line enters the State of Texas at Echo Station, 
on the Sabine River. 

The most important stations In this State are New 
Orleans; Gretna, Powell, Murragh and Jefferson, in Jef- 
ferson parish; Boutte and des Allemands, St. Charles 
parish; Raceland. Ewings, Bousseau, Schriever and Thi- 
bodaux, Lafourche parish; Napoleonville, Assumption 
parish; Houma. Chacahoula and TIgervllle, Terrebonne 
parish; Gibson and Boeuf, Assumption parish; Ramos, 
Morgan City, Berwick, Patterson, Rlcohoc, Bayou Sale. 
Franklin, Baldwin, Glencoe, Cypremort and Sorrell, St. 
Mary parish; Jeanerette, Olivier, New Iberia, Petit Anse. 
Segura and Burkes, Iberia parish; Cades, St Martinsville 



262 



and Breaux's Bridge, St. Martin parish; Duchamp, Brous- 
sard, Lafayette, Scott, aid Carencro, Lafayette parish; 
Duson, Rayne, Crowley, Estherwood and Mermenteau, 
Acadia parish; Jennings, Evangeline, Welch, Lacassine, 
Iowa, Chloe, Lake Charles, West Lake, Lock Moore, Sul- 
phur Mine, Edgerly, Vinton, Sabine, Jacksonville and 
Echo, Calcasieu parish; Grand Coteau, Bellevue, Ope- 
lousas, Washington, Beggs, Garland, Whiteville and Bar- 
breck, St. Landry parish; Milburn, Avoyelles parish, and 
Eola, Haasville and Cheneyville, in Rapides parish. 

A branch line from Lafayette to Baton Rouge ha3 
just been completed. 

St. Louis, Watkins and Gulf. 

This line extends from Alexandria to Watkins, sit- 
uated on the Gulf of Mexico, at the Calcasieu Pass. It 
has branch roads leading from Bon Air to Lake Charles 
and Grand Lake. It passes through three parishes, and 
its most important stations are Alexandria, Anandale, 
Yilderouge, Forest Hill and Glenmora, in Rapides parish; 
Oakdale, Oberlin, Kinder, Fenton, Iowa, Bon Air and 
Lake Charles, in Calcasieu parish, and Grand Lake and 
Watkins, in Cameron parish. 

The St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railroad. 

This road extends from Alexandria, in a northeastern 
direction, and enters the State of Arkansas in the north- 
eastern portion of Morehouse. It passes through six 
parishes, and its most important stations are: Alexandria, 
in Rapides parish; Pollock and Dugdemona, Grant parish; 
Tullos and Olla, Catahoula parish; Kelly, Grayson, 



Bridges, Columbia, Riverton and Eureka, Caldwell parish; 
Boser, Caplin, Monroe and Sicard, Ouachita parish, and 
Collins, Doss, Mer Rouge, Galion, Bonita and Jones, in 
Morehouse parish. 

Houston and Shreveport Railroad. 

This line of railway extends in a southwestern direc- 
tion from Shreveport, and enters the State of Texas at 
Logansport, on the Sabine River. It passes through two 
parishes, and the principal stations are Shreveport, Laro- 
sen and Keithville, in Caddo parish; and Preston, Keat- 
chie, Longstreet and Logansport, in De Soto parish. 

The St. Louis and Southwestern, or SL Louis, Arkan- 
sas and Texas Railroad, extends northward from Shreve- 
port, and enters the State of Arkansas at Rudge Station, 
Bossier parish. The important stations are Shady Grove, 
Benton, Alder, Gernsheim and Rudge, all in Bossier 
parish. 

Memphis, Helena and New Orleans Railroad. 

This road is generally known as the new Gould line, 
St. Louis to New Orleans. When completed it will run 
from the Iron Mountain main line to Farriday Junction, 
where a junction is —iade with the Texas and Pacific 
Railroad. This road will then furnish a through line, 
St. Louis to New Orleans. It will be operated under the 
Missouri Pacific System. The principal stations on the 
line are Lake Providence, in East Carroll parish; Tal- 
lulah, Madison parish; St. Joseph, Tensas parish, and 
Farriday Junction, in Concordia parish. 



263 



Louisiana Railway and Navigation Company. 

This company has a line from Shreveport to Baton 
Rouge and New Orleans, with through service, Shreve- 
port to Baton Rouge and New Orleans. This company 
also has three branch lines, one connecting Natchitoches 
with the main line, one from Campti to Chestnut, and 
one from Colfax Junction to Winnfield. 

The principal stations along the line are from Baton 
Rouge, Irene and Port Hudson, in East Baton Rouge 
parish; Bayou Sara and Angola, West Feliciana parish; 
Kleinwood, Bordelonville and Mansura, Avoyelles parish; 
Poland, Richland, Alexandria and Pineville, Rapides par- 
ish; Colfax, Grant parish; Atlanta and Winnfield, Winn 
parish; Chestnut, Campti and Natchitoches Natchitoches 
parish; Coushatta, Red River parish; Atkins, Bossier 
parish, and Shreveport, Caddo parish. 

Kansas City Southern Railroad. 

This line extends from Lake Charles to Kansas City. 
It has two branches. The principal stations are Lake 
Charles, Westlake, Starks, Bon Ami and De Quincy, in 
Calcasieu parish; Leesville and Orange, in Vernon par- 
ish; Fisher and Zwolle, Sabine parish; Mansfield and 
Frierson, De Soto parish, and Shreveport and Blanchard, 
Caddo parish. 

The New Orleans and Northwestern Railroad. 

This line extends from Natchez to Collins' Station, 
on the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Souther.. Railroad, 
and passes through five parishes. The most important 
are Vidalia, Concordia, Frogmorp and T°nsas, in Con- 



cordia parish; Greenville. Wildwood, Florence and Pecks, 
in Catahoula parish; Bryan, Gilbert and Winnsboro, in 
Franklin parish; Archibald and Rayville, in Richland 
parish, and Collins, in Morehouse. 

The Natchez, Red River and Texas Narrow Gauge Rail- 
road. 
This line extends from Vidalia to Trinity, through 
Concordia parish. Principal stations, Vidalia, Sycamore 
and Trinity, in Concordia parish. 

The Mississippi, Terre-aux-Boeufs and Lake Railroad. 

This line extends down along the eastern coast of 
the Mississippi River to Bohemia. It has a branch line 
from St. Bernard Station to Shell Beach, on Lake Borgns, 
and passes through three parishes. The stations are 
New Orleans and Jacksonborough, in Orleans parish; 
Versailles, Arabi, Poydras, St. Bernard, Toca, Kenil- 
worth, Reggio, Florisant and Shell Beach, in St. Bernard 
parish; and English Turn, St. Clair, Stella, Mary, Belair, 
Greenwood, Mouncella, Sordelot, Nero, Pointe-a-la- 
Hache and Bohemia, in Plaquemines parish. 

The New Orleans, Fort Jackson and Grand Isle Railroad. 
This line extends down the western coast of the 
Mississippi River through two parishes. The principal 
stations being Algiers, in Orleans parish, and Fort Leon, 
Concession, Magnolia, Myrtle Grove and Wood Park. 

The City and Lake Railroad extends to West End, 
and the Pontchartrain Railroad to Milneburg. These are 
pleasure resorts on Lake Pontchartrain. 



264 



The Louisiana and Northwest Railroad. 

This line extends from McNeil, Arkansas, to Natchi- 
toches, and runs through three parishes. The principal 
stations are Homer and Athens, in Claiborne parish: 
Gibsland, Bienville and Saline, Bienville parish; Natchi- 
toches, Natchitoches parish. 

Louisiana and Arkansas Railroad. 

This line extends from the Cotton Belt line, in Ar- 
kansas, to Winnfield, and runs through four parishes. 
The principal stations are Minden and Sibley, in Web- 
ster parish; Caston, Bienville parish; Chestnut, Natchi- 
toches parish, and Winnfield, Winn parish, End on from 
Winnfleld to Alexandria. 

St. Louis Southwestern Railroad. 

This line is better known as the Cotton Belt. Shreve- 
port is its Louisiana terminus, and it only touches two 
parishes,. The principal stations are Plain Dealing and 
Benton, in Bossier parish, and Shreveport, Caddo parish. 

Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad. 

Shreveport is the Louisiana terminus of this line. 
It only passes through one parish, Caddo, and has but 
two stations of importance in Louisiana — namely, 
Greenwood and Shreveport. 

Arkansas Southern Railroad. 

This line extends from El Dorado, Arkansas, to Col- 
fax. It passes through five parishes. The principal 
stations are Bernice, in Union parish; Ruston, Lincoln 
parish; Allendale and Jonesboro, Jackson parish; Winn- 
field, Winn parish, and Colfax, Grant parish. 



Kentwood and Eastern Railroad. 

This line runs from Kentwood through the northern 
part of Washington parish. It was originally built as a 
logging road. 

Miscellaneous. 

Besides the railroads enumerated above, there are 
several short private roads, logging roads and sugar-cane 
roads, amounting in all to a mileage of 322 miles. 

The Frisco and the Southern systems both come into 
New Orleans through leased rights. It is generally be- 
lieved that it is only a question of time when both of 
these great systems will have their own tracks through 
the State. 

No State in the South offers greater inducements for 
railroad building than Louisiana, on account of her agri- 
cultural and lumber interests, and the future of the 
State is very bright and promising. 

State Railroad Commission. 

The Constitutional Convention of 1898 created a State 
Board of Railroad Commisisoners. The scope of this 
Commission is more extended than that of any railroad 
commission in the United States. It has absolute power 
over, and control of, not only all railroad lines, but water 
lines, express companies, telephone and telegraph com- 
panies, and sleeping car companies. Through this body 
all discrimination in rates, between Louisiana points, 
may be readily adjusted, and complaints of overcharge 
receive prompt investigation. 



865 



AS OTHERS SEE US, 



PROFESSOR HILGARD, in his preliminary report 
of a Geological Survey of Western Louisiana, re- 
marks: "Few sections of the United States, in- 
deed, can offer such inducements to settlers as 
the prairie region between the Mississippi Bottoms, the 
Nez Pique and Mermenteau. Healthier by far than tht- 
prairies of the Northwest, fanned by the sea breeze, well 
watered — the scarcity of wood rendered of less moment 
by the blandness of the climate, and the extraordinary 
rapidity with which natural hedges can be grown for 
fences, while the exuberantly fertile soil produces both 
sugar-cane and cotton in profusion, continuing to do »i, 
in many cases after seventy years' exhaustive cultiva- 
tion. Well may the Teche country be styled, by 1t^ 
enthusiastic inhabitants, the 'Garden of Louisiana.' " 

One of the largest and most intelligent farmers iti 
central Iilinols, after a careful examination of the Teclie 
and Attakapas country, said: 

"I have heretofore thought that central Illinois wa> 
the finest farming country in the world. I own a larg< 
farm there, with improvements equal to any In the coun- 
try. I cultivate about two thousand acres in small grain, 
besides other crops; but since I have seen the Teche and 
Attakapas country, I do not see how any man who hab 
seen this country can be satisfied to live in Illinois, 

"I find that I can raise everything in Louisiana thu 
can be raised In Illinois, and that I can raise a hundred . 



things there which cannot be raised in Illinois. I fin-J 
the lands easier worked in Louisiana, infinitely richer 
and yielding far more, and with the fairest climate on 
earth, and no trouble to get to market. I shall return 
to Illinois, sell out, and persuade my neighbors to do 
the same, and return to Louisiana to spend the remainder 
of my days." 

The editor of the Chicago Tribune, after visiting thy 
Teche country, said to his 50,000 subscribers: "If, by 
some supreme effort of Nature, Western Louisiana, with 
its soil, climate and production, could be taken up and 
transported north to the latitude of Illinois and Indiana, 
and be there set down in the pathway of Eastern travel 
it would create a commotion that would throw the dis- 
covery of gold in California in the shade at the time of 
the greatest excitement. The people would rush to it 
In countless thousands. Every man would be Intent on 
securing a few acres of these wonderfully productive and 
profitable sugar plains. These Teche lands, if in Illinois, 
would bring from three to five hundred dollars per acre." 

Robert Ridgeway, formerly of Indiana, now of Lou- 
isiana, said: "Too much cannot be said in praise of 
Louisiana. I find, at least, from personal observation, 
that Louisiana possesses to a most wonderful degree, 
great opportunities for making money, and a young man 
with any get-up about him, with only a little money, or 
even nothing but his energy, can, In a few years, make 



266 



a fortune as an agriculturist alone. There is no country 
on earth that has any greater advantage than Louisiana. 

"We have twelve months working season, and pro- 
ducts for the year round. In the North and West we can 
labor only part of the year, and during the other three 
months they have to consume or eat up what they have 
laid by — not so here — Louisiana offers most wonderful 
advantages for the enterprising man to come and take 
hold of. There has been much said of Louisiana, of her 
benefits and advantages, by tongues more flowery than 
mine, but I will say that the whole has not been told." 

J. H. Keyser, of Bellevue, Bossier parish, La., for- 
merly of Pennsylvania, said: "I traveled, years ago, por- 
tions of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa and Michigan, and 
spent my early life in Pennsylvania, and have been living 
since 1S70 in Bossier parish, La., and taking everything 
into consideration, I believe a man can live with as mucli 
comfort and enjoyment in Louisiana as in any other 
State of the Union. The people are kind, generous and 
hospitable, and rarely intermeddle with the political or 
religious opinions of any one. The great need of the 
State is immigrants to fill up her waste places, that only 
need proper culture to produce in abundance. 

"And the State and its capabilities only need to be 
made known generally to attract immigration, and thj 
time is not far distant when Louisiana will be recognized 
a; among the first States of the Union." 

J. M. Howell, of Lafourche, La., formerly of Mis- 
souri, says: "During my residence in Louisiana of 
twenty- five years, from personal observation, I find that 



the laws are as fairly and impartially administered here 
as in any other State in the Union. My observations 
lead me to believe that without regard to race, sex or 
former conditions, that nowhere in the United States 
are the laws more impartially administered than here in 
this State." 

W. J. Ornett, formerly of Michigan, said: "I left 
Michigan on March 19, 1SS8, for the South, and landed 
in the city of Natchitoches one week later. When I left 
Michigan there was plenty of snow and ice, and when I 
arrived in Natchitoches I found things altogether dif- 
ferent. There was plenty of grass for stock, the fruit 
trees had bloomed, and garden vegetables of all kin is 
were growing, and flowers all ready to bloom, and, if 1 
remember right, some had bloomed. 

"Ladies, why stay at the North and burn fifty dol 
lars' worth of wood to keep a few flowers from freezing, 
when you can come South and have them bloom nine 
months in the year, and have them outdoors, and then 
you can have your early vegetables all through April. 
Just think of it. And, let me tell you, I ate some as 
fine dewberries as I ever ate in my life in the last week 
in April, and you people that were in the North were 
shivering around the fire. I think fruit of most any kind 
will grow here in abundance. There is soil to be found 
adapted to most everything, and excellent soil, too; and 
the climate, so far as I have experienced it, is very nice 
It did not affect me disagreeably so far. I think, if 
anything, it has benefited me, as I have gained several 
pounds in weight; and in regard to the reception I re- 



267 



ceived from the people, I must say that it was better 
than I expected. I find them pleasant and hospitable in 
every way. There is a variety of openings, plenty for 
all classes; plenty of fine farming lands, both improved 
and unimproved, to be had cheap, and plenty of timber 
of all kinds; fine chance for stock raising, as you need 
to feed for so short a time during the year that the 
expense is small compared to where you feed six months 
in the year. There is opening for a cotton factory, oil 
mill, furniture factory, grist mill, banks, hotels, photo- 
graphers, and others too numerous to mention." 

Professor S. A. Knapp says: "It would be neces- 
sary to take the prairies of Iowa, the rugged timber 
lands of Maine, and the entire delta of the Nile, twist 
them all together, and thrust through them the Amazon 
to produce another Louisiana." 

Started Without a Dollar. 
"I came to the United States from Germany, landing 
in the City of New Orleans, State of Louisiana, in the 
month of September, 1869. I came to Clinton, East Fe- 
liciana parish, La., from there same year; remained here 
one year and worked on the farm; then left and went to 
Illinois, traveling over three Northern States. I was 
gone from here about ten months. I soon came to the 
conclusion that this country offered better opportunity 
for men in the financial condition I was in than the 
North or Northwest. I returned here and commenced 
railroading, following that for five or six years. I then 
purchased me a home, where I now live; first bought 75 
acres. I now own 378 acres, for which I would not 



accept $6,000 cash. I live on what I make on my place, 
except flour and rice. This I could grow. I have made 
one bale of cotton per acre, and from 40 to 50 bushels of 
corn per acre. This land will grow as fine grapes as cau 
be grown anywhere. All kinds of garden stuff grows 
here, and some of them can be grown two crops in a 
year. I can grow two fine crops of sweet potatoes. Any 
person can come and locate here and make a living ut 
home and pay for the house at the same time. I com- 
menced here without a dollar, and I have raised a large 
family and have plenty around me, such as horses, mules, 
cattle and hogs, and such other things as belong to a 
farm. 

I can recommend these lands to any person wanting 
to gain for himself a home. I know of many ot'-.er Ger- 
mans who have come here in the same condition I was In 
and today own good houses. The same things any per- 
son can do here who will come and try. 

THOMAS AULL. 

Raises All His Supplies. 
This is to certify that I came to the Parish of East 
Feliciana in the year 1S66 and have lived here and have 
been engaged in farming since that time. I have raised 
all of my work stock and everything needed to supply 
my farm. During this entire time I have never had to 
incur any debt, as there was always a demand for my 
surplus of corn, molasses, hay, chickens and eggs, to 
settle in cash for what my family needed, leaving my 
cotton crop each year as a surplus. One year my family 



268 



made and gathered 30 bales of cotton, 750 bushels of 
corn, 200 gallons of molasses, 75 bushels of potatoes, an.< 
housed all the hay needed for my stock and sold $75.00 
worth of hay. Besides making all of my lard, bacon an! 
hams, I sold $75.00 worth of fresh meat, and my boys 



made, after my crop was harvested, $250.00 on the sugar 
farm, which they now have on hand. This Is a healthy 
country and offers fine inducement to any man willing 
to work who has any idea of management. 

GEORGE ANDERSON. 



THE SOUTH. 



THE SOUTH has the grandest destiny the world 
ever saw. No people have such a future. Her 
soil, her climate, her products, her mineral 
resources, her manufacturing resources, her man- 
ufacturing facilities, present a combination of advantages 
suh as are found in no other land. The high moral tone 
of her people, the strength of her Christian faith, the 
culture of her highest classes, place the South where no 
other people stand. 

"The small buddings on the great oak prove that 
it has survived the winter, and spring is at hand. The 
survival of the misfortunes of the past is one of the 
grandest evidences of the strength of our civilization, 
and betokens the coming of a better day. Indeed, that 
day has already dawned. Go where you may, over the 
South, you will see evidences of improvement in every 
department of industry. The fact that Northern capital 
is taking possession of the railroads of the South shows 
that the North has faith in the future of the South. 
Never before were there so many great railroads being 
constructed in our region. 



"The northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico is the 
natural center of trade for the Western Hemisphere. The 
configuration of the continent, the direction of the great 
rivers, the sweep of the ocean currents, and the prevail- 
ing winds all point to the mouth of the Mississippi as 
the natural center. There is land enough adapted to the 
growth of sugar, contiguous to New Orleans to supply 
the wants of the continent, and to furnish vast amounts 
for exportation. It only needs the proper application of 
machinery and labor to effect this great result. As to 
cotton, the lowlands along the Mississippi River can pro- 
duce ten million bales annually. New Orleans is to be 
the grandest emporium of trade for the continent. When 
ship communication is made across the Isthmus, New 
Orleans must beome the great center of trade for North 
America; and nothing can divert it but an imperial 
despotism holding huge investments of capital elsewhere. 

"Take it all in all, the smiling sun never lookei 
upon a better country, or a grander poople, than we have 
here in the South." 



269 



A FEW STATE GOVERNMENT FACTS. 



THE REVENUES of Louisiana are derived by levy- 
ing an ad valorem tax of six mills on the dol- 
lar of the assessed valuation of the property 
within the State, and a license tax upon persons and 
corporations pursuing certain trades, professions or oc- 
cupations. 

The revenue obtained from the levy of the six mills 
tax is divided into four different funds as follows: One 
and one-half mills to the General Fund; one and five- 
eighths mills to the Current School Fund; and one and 
seven-eighths mills to the Interest Tax Fund; one mill 
to the General Engineer Fund. 

The entire amount derived from the levy of the 
license tax is placed to the credit of the General Fund, 
and it, with that part of the advalorem tax mentioned 
above as belonging to the General Fund, is used in 
defraying the ordinary expenses of the State Govern- 
ment, in paying pensions to Confederate veterans, and 
in maintaining the public and charitable institutions of 
the State. 

The Current School Fund is used to maintain a pub- 
lic school system throughout the State, being appor- 
tioned to the various parishes according to the number 
of children in each between the ages of six and eighteen 
years. 

The Interest Tax Fund is devoted to the payment of 
the interest on the bonded debt of the State, while the 



General Engineer Fund is used for the purpose of con- 
structing and maintaining a system of levees. 

In addition to the taxes and licenses levied by the 
State for State purposes, the various parishes and munic- 
ipalities have the right to levy taxes and licenses for 
parochial and municipal support. 

The rate of taxation for these purposes may be as 
high as ten mills on the dollar, but the assessed value of 
the property cannot be greater than it is for State 
purposes. 

Levee boards also have the right to impose, for 
levee purposes, an ad valorem tax, not to exceed ten 
mills on the dollar, on property within the limits of a 
levee district, taking the State's assessment as a basis. 
They can also impose a tax upon the produce raised and 
an acreage tax. 

In this connection it would be well to note that 
there are quite a number of exemptions from the pay- 
ment of license and property taxation. 

T T o license can be exacted of clerks, laborers, clergy- 
men and school-teachers; those engaged in mechanical, 
agricultural, horticultural and mining pursuits, and man- 
ufacturers, other than those of distilled, alcoholic or malt 
liquors, tobacco, cigars and cotton seed oil. 

No tax is levied on public property, places of re- 
ligious worship or burial, charitable institutions, build- 
ings used exclusively for colleges and other school pur- 
poses, etc., nor on household property to the value of 
$500. 



270 




271 



SOME PROVISIONS OF THE CONSTITUTION OF 1898. 



THE CHIEF demand of the people from their 
delegates was the elevation of the suffrage 
to a higher plane; and the purification of the 
elections. It is believed these aims have been fairly 
attained. Besides age, residence and registration, it is 
provided that the voter must be able to read and writs. 
He shall show this by his affidavit; and by writing, 
dating and signing unaided by memorandum or otherwise 
his application for registration. Having purged the elect- 
orate of as many negroes with the disfranchisement of 
as few whites as possible, a poll-tax prerequisite to voting 
was provided. This requires the tax to have been paid 
"on or before the 31st day of December of each year, for 
two years preceding the year in which the voter offers 
to vote." The receipt must be produced when the offer 
is made to vote. To antedate a receipt is forgery; to 
pay the tax for another to influence his vote, is bribery. 
It is thus desired to further eliminate the shiftless 
negro, as well as the undesirable white voter. 

The next step was towards purifying the elections. 
The Australian ballot is perpetuated in a simplified form: 
the closing of the registration thirty days anterior to 
the election is ordered, and within that time any voter 
denied registration may obtain relief, which is provided 
for speedily; as well as any citizen cause the rolls to be 
purged from fraudulent registrations. 



The General Assembly is ordered to enact laws to 
secure fairness in party primary elections and conven- 
tions: and, in these, none but registered voters can par- 
ticipate. If he cannot read and write, he must own 
property assessed at not less than three hundred dollars; 
and if the property be movable, the taxes must first have 
been paid. 

Finally, it may be said, that upon questions sub- 
mitted to taxpayers, women, without registration, and 
personally or by proxy, may vote. 

Material improvements have been made in the judi- 
ciary. 

The Supreme Court, with an extension of the work, 
remains as presently constituted. 

District Courts must be continuously in session dur- 
ing ten months of each year. The authors of the propo- 
sition intended, and the convention, after discussing it 
thoroughly, and adopting it also, intended to do away 
with the delays which arise in litigation, both civil and 
criminal, by the existence of the antiquated system of 
Court terms. 

Judges have been hampered by Court terms; and 
they in common with litigants and taxpayers, will hail 
an opportunity of more speedily and satisfactorily dis- 
charging their trusts. 



272 



The system will be better appreciated, when the tax- 
payers learn that the Court, being continuously in ses- 
sion, the jail may be kept clear. 

The trial of misdemeanors will be by the Judge, with- 
out a jury. 

The trial of offenses which may be punished by hard 
labor, shall be by a jury of five; and that of crimes 
necessarily punishable by hard labor, by a jury of twelve, 
nine of whom shall convict. 

Twelve, concurring', shall be necessary to convict in 
cases that are capital. Twelve shall compose a grand 
jury and nine will suffice to find an indictment. 

Public education has received attention in the mate- 
rial increase of its revenues, without any increase of 
the burden on the taxpayers. This purpose of aiding 
education includes a provision authorizing the legislature 
tip impose a tax on inheritances, when the property, ex- 
ceeding ten thousand dollars, has succeeded in evading 
taxation. 

Upon the subject of revenues and taxation, atten- 
tion need only be called specially to the creation of a 
State goard of Appraisers, composed of the Auditor and 
one representative from each Congressional District, to 
assess property belonging to a railway, telegraph, tele- 
phone, sleeping car, and express companies. Several ex- 
emptions from parochial and municipal taxation are 
made in behalf of manufactories, to encourage their es- 
tablishment. The State tax. hitherto uncollected on 
these, will now be collected to its material advantage, 

H. B.—lS 



New railroads are likewise exempted for ten years 
with proper restrictions as to those receiving the bounty 
of a special tax. 

Heretofore, the reservation of the homestead cam? 
from the owner, who, recording it, announced to the 
trading world that he placed so much of his property 
beyond the reach of creditors whose claims arose subse- 
quent to his act. The organic law now declares a home- 
stead without recordation, and throws upon the owner, 
with the consent of his wife, the burden of waiving tnia 
homestead, either generally or specially, either in whole 
or in part, as each may deem advisable. 

For the advantage of public roads, care was taken; 
and among other provisions, the State Board of Engi- 
neers are required to render such services in their estab- 
lishment as will be needed; the Courts are allowed to 
sentence the condemned to labor on them; and the police 
juries may levy besides the ordinary taxes, licenses 
on vehicles kept and used for locomotion on these high- 
ways. 

The public health is safeguarded by a State Board 
of Health, to be such in fact as well as in name. 

A commission to have control of and supervision over 
the railroads, express, telephone, telegraph, steamboat 
and sleeping car companies, has been created, its officers 
to be elected by the people; the giving oi railroa ! passes 
or frar.king privileges to public officials has been con- 
demned; parishes, towns and drainage districts, with the 
consent of the taxpayers, may issue bonds to the extern 



273 



of ten per cent of the assessed valuation of the property, 
with in- without special taxation, for matters of internal 
Improvement belonging to them. 

The Governor and State Treasurer have been mad" 



ineligible to succeed themselves in office; the confession 
of judgment note has been suppressed because of its 
abuse against the ignorant and feeble; and a variety of 
other useful provisions are embodied in the Constitution. 



WHY YOU SHOULD SETTLE IN LOUISIANA. 



Because it is the best country known to the man of 

moderate means. 
Because you v\ill find a country of rich soil awaiting the 

settler. 
Because there are uplands, prairie lands, and alluvial 

ii' er bottoms. 
Because you ran be certain of profitable returns from 

whatever you put into the soil. 
Because the winter does not consume what the summer 

produces. 
Because there are more and better opportunities for di- 
versified farming than elsewhere. 
Because the seasons are regular, and no fear of crop 

failure. 
Because the country is never scourged by cyclones and 

devastating storms or blizzards. 
Because no better fruit country is known — oranges, 



plums, pears, peaches, apples, grapes, strawberries, 

figs, pecans, and others fully maturing. 
Because everything grown elsewhere can be produced 

here more abundantly. 
Because truck farming is a success; products, being early 

on the market, obtain high prices. 
Because there are more chances for- profitable investment 

of capital than elsewhere in this country. 
Because you have no long winter months to encounter. 

with no excessive dry heat in summer. 
Because the climate is more uniform than elsewhere, no 

extremes of heat and cold. 
Because you will find the most open-hearted people on 

the globe. 
Because education is paramount; public schools and 

churches of every denomination are to be found in 

all communities. 



274 



INDEX. 



Page 

LOUISIANA'S INVITATION S 

AN HISTORICAL SKETCH 9 

Father Marquette fl 

The Western Company !! 

First Plan to Build Jetties 1(1 

Under Spanish Rule l 1 

The Purchase of Louisiana 1 ' 

Constitutions of 1SG4 and 1868 1« 

Banks 1 £ 

Assessment . IS 

The People 1* 

Area, Production, Climate and Population is 

Climate 22 

Rainfall 21 

RIVERS AND WATER COURSES ;» 

Railroads in Operation in Louisiana '. 3i 

GEOLOGY OF LOUISIANA Ml 

Extent of Formations .• 3( 

Bluff Lands 3i 

Stratified urift : 2' 

Tertiary System 3! 

Cretaceous System 4< 

LEVEES OF THE STATE 4 

AGRICULTURAL DIVISIONS OF THE STATE 4' 

First. Alluvial Region 4 

Alluvial Region of the Mississippi River and Its 

Outlying Bayous 4' 

South of Red River 5' 

WHAT LOUISIANA-'S LANDS WILL GROW 5: 

SUGAR CANE 5; 

Area in Cultivation fi' 

Central Factories 62 

Syrup Making in Louisiana 6' 

RICE 6i 

i :i i ['TON AND COTTON FACTORIES 71 



Page 

TOBACCO 72 

FRUIT 7i, 

ORANGE-GROWING' IN LOUISIANA 7S 

TRUCK INDUSTRY IN LOUISIANA 82 

GRASSES, CLOVERS ANi FORAGE CROPS 86 

Soiling and Forage Crops $> 

FIBRE CROPS 92 

FORESTRY AND LUMBER H4 

FISH ioo 

OYSTERS 102 

STOCK RAISING AND DAIRYING 104 

EXPERIMENTS WITH BEEF < 'ATTLE 108 

DAIRYING IN LOUISIANA 312 

PEANUT CULTURE IN LOUISIANA 110 

Uses of the Peanut 116 

Louisiana's Ideal Soil and Climate IIS 

SHEEP 124 

POULTRY RAISING 124 

MINES AND MINERALS 126 

RESOURCES AND POSSIBILITIES 130 

Animal Industry 131 

Climate 1.31 

Health 132 

The Lands of the State 136 

Prices of Land 136 

Louisiana Queen of the South . . . . 137 

Louisiana Fish and Game 138 

Marvelous Lumber and Mineral Wealth of Louisi- 
ana J 3 8 

Come to Dixie 139 

THE PARISHES OF LOUISIANA 150 

Total Assessment for the Year 1910 151 

Population of Parishes 152 



275 



Page 

Acadia Parish \\\ 

Ascension Parish "J 

Assumption Parish \-il 

Avoyelles Parish "J 

Bienville Parish j"" 

Bossier Parish j|!J 

Caddo Parish J" 

Calcasieu Parish } °!J 

Caldwell Parish "' 

Cameron Parish i"' 

Catahoula Parish i ° ° 

Claiborne Parish J' 

Concordia Parish i ' 

De Soto Parish • J'X 

East Baton Rouge Parish { < - 

East Carroll Parish }'£ 

East Feliciana Parish f-<* 

Franklin Parish ■ j'" 

Grant Parish f'° 

Iberia Parish '• *L° 

Iberville Parish j'' 

Jackson Parish i ' - 

Jefferson Parish ' ' 

Lafayette Parish ; ■ •■ {?" 

Lafourche Parish '■ 

Lincoln Parish l ' 

Livingston Parish '■ - 

Madison Parish '■ - 

Morehouse Parish i„' 

Natchitoches Parish ; "J 

Orleans Parish 

Ouachita Parish J" 

Plaquemines Parish f-JJJ 

Pointe Coupee Parish "J 

Rapides Parish J' 

Red River Parish * • „ 

Richland Parish j»" 

Sabine Parish ,SS 

St. Bernard Parish J; 7 

St. Charles Parish }•» 

St. Helena Parish '•'" 

St. James Parish j J J 

St. John The Baptist Parish lj»* 

St. Landry Parish f- • 

St. Martin Parish "• 

St. Mary Parish l ** 



Pa<7e 

St. Tammany Parish 200 

Tangipahoa Parish 200 

Tensas Parish 202 

Terrebonne Parish 202 

Union Parish 202 

Vermilion Parish 204 

Vernon Parish 204 

Washington Parish 205 

Webster Parish 205 

West Baton Rouge Parish 20(1 

West Carroll Parish 206 

West Feliciana Parish 206 

Winn Parisii 208 

FORCES AT WORK IN BEHALF OF THE FARMER. 210 

Board of Agriculture and Immigration 210 . 

The Louisiana State University and Agricultural 

a n<l Mechanical College 21" 

Agricultural Experiment Stations 210 

Parish Agricultural Fairs 212 

Fertilizer Law 212 

GOOD ROADS 212 

EDUCATION 213 

Sources of Revenue 213 

Sehool Systems...- 214 

Higher Education 214 

Professional Educational Training 216 

Industrial Education 216 

Private and Sectarian Schools 216 

Education of the Colored 216 

LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY AND AGRICULTU- 
RAL AND MECHANICAL COLLEGE 218 

THE TULANE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA. NEW 

ORLEANS 226 

LI 'I IISIANA STATE NORMAL SCHOOL 22S 

LOUISIANA INDUSTRIAL INSTITUTE 229 

THE SOUTHWESTERN LOUISIANA INDUSTRIAL IN- 
STITUTE 231 

Si IUTHERN UNIVERSITY 222 

PRIVATE ANH SECTARIAN SCHOOLS 235 

TWO SPLENDID ADJUNCTS TO LOUISIANA'S EDU- 
CATIONAL FORCES 236 



276 



Page 

STATE INSTITUTIONS »39 

Institute for the Deaf and Dumb 239 

Institute for the Blind 239 

Soldiers" Home 1:39 

Insane Asylum 24 u 

Charity Hospital, New Orleans 240 

Shreveport Charity Hospital 242 

State Penitentiary and Convict Farms 2 42 

NEW ORLEANS— THE METROPOLIS OF THE SOUTH 243 

New Orleans and the Isthmian Canal 251 

SHREVEPORT 254 

BATON ROUGE 256 

NEW IBERIA 257 

LAKE CHARLES Z5S 

ALEXANDRIA 259 

MONROE 259 

BUNKIE 260 

LOUISIANA S RAILRO ADS 260 

The Illinois Central System 260 

The Queen and Crescent System ~261 

The Louisville and Nashville Route 261 

The Texas and Pacific Route 262 

The Southern Pacific Route 262 

St. Louis, Watkins and Gulf Railroad 263 



Page 
The St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Rail- 

roaa 263 

Houston and Shreveport Railroad 2bd 

Memphis, St. Helena and New Orleans Railroad., ibi 

Louisiana Railway and Navigation Company 264 

Kansas City Southern Railroad -"* 

The New Orleans and Northwestern Railroad 2b4 

The Natchez, Red River and Texas Narrow Gauge . 

Railroad •••■ - hi 

The Mississippi, Terre-aux-Bceufs and Lake Rail- 

road ■ • • 264 

The New Orleans, Fort Jackson and Grand Isle 

Railroad f t °l 

The Louisiana and Northwest Railroad 2t>5 

Louisiana and Arkansas Railroad 26o 

St. Louis Southwestern Railroad 265 

Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad 2bo 

Arkansas Southern Railroad 265 

Kentwood and Eastern Railroad 26o 

.Miscellaneous -** 

State Railroad Commission 2bo 

AS OTHERS SEE US '^^ 

THE SOUTH 269 

A FEW STATE GOVERNMENT FACTS 270 

SOME PROVISIONS OF THE CONSTITUTION OF 

1398 21i 

WHY YOU SHOULD SETTLE IN LOUISIANA 274 



INDEX TO ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Page 

State Capitol — Southwest View 5 

"i I ."tiisiana's Good Roads 7 

Second-Growth Pine 12 

Louisiana Planter's Home 12 

A Trout Stream 12 

A Gravel Bed on the Amite 12 

Tli" Old Cabildo in New Orleans, in which the transfer of 

Louisiana took place December 2u, I mi:; 1:: 

An Am mi- <ii Live Oaks in Audubon Park, New Orleans. 14 

Dr. Miller's Herd of Jersey Cattle, in Ouachita Parish. . . 15 

Sugar Cane Field in July — St. Charles Parish 17 



Page 

Stock Beets — Baton Rouge (La.) Experiment Station. ... 17 

Loading Cars with Cane from Carts 19 

Old Race Track, 1S5S — Spot where Zachary Taylor's 1: 1 

idence stood 19 

Awaiting Turn at the Gm 19 

Charcoal Burning 19 

Cultivating Corn — Traveleis' Rest Stock Farm, Ouachita 

Parish 21 

Stock Beet — As it grows in Louisiana 23 

Corn and Cowpeas in East Baton Rouge Parish 24 

A Louisiana Sweet Potato Field 24 



277 



Page 

A Bossier Parish Road 25 

On a Bayou ' 25 

Bumside Sugar Refinery 2'i 

Going to Dinner — Ascension Parish 29 

Off on a School Picnic — Ascension Parish 29 

Freak of Nature — Double Cypress Tree 31 

A Louisiana Home :; 1 

Steamboat Loading at Shreveport for New Orleans. 3 , 

Sulphur Mines in Calcasieu Parish 37 

Liquid Sulphur :;n 

i >i! i lusher near Jennings. La :;n 

Japanese Persimmon Tree in Fruit 41 

Seam of Coal in Doler Hills — 7 1 . feel thick .. 41 

Levee Camp on the Mississippi River 43 

Black Gum, nr Satin Walnut 45 

Live Oak on Bav.m Teche ' 45 

Picking- Cotton — At end of Row 45 

Truck Farming (Tomatoes)— L. P. Alexander's Truck 

Farm, Ouachita Parish 4 , 

"Raton Rouge,"Two Years Old. from Lemster— Avoyelles 

Parish 49 

Residence on the Belle Helene Plantation in ' Ascension 

Parish 4<l 

\ Four-year-old Peach Orchard in Bossier Parish 55 

Cauliflower Field— Tangipahoa Parish, near Racelarid ' 55 

1 utting uespedeza Hay in September after bavins bar- . 
sted a full crop of Oats in May, on the same 

ground g« 

The End of Two Centuries ..'.'.'. . . . . v'i 

A 12 o'clock scene at a Louisiana Sugar House 59 

Planting Cane i n Ascension Parish. ... 1; 1 

Mt.Ca.rm;.] Convent ' ' , 

A Relic of the Past— An old Open-Kettle Sugar House! '. ' 63 

sugar R'l v at New Orb ans. . ' li 

< '--.w nt .;- Coi ingtci ,' 

A Sugar Mill in St. Ch tries Parish 05 

Storing Can.- on a Trollev "'" r'r, 

Main Plant =>nd Fun, f the Ferre Canal' Company, "oii 

Bavou On. ii.. « 1 . ■ Tortue fi7 

Rice r.-j,,T r i in g t , j, )hn p ar j s h ' " 67 

'■'■ c-Iaimi ■•! Uluvial Lands on Atchafaiava RiVer' t;\ 

'-■eld of Sugar Pan.- in East Raton Rouge Parish ' ' ' 6S 

Interior of Ric ■ War house eZ 

Log Tram 55 

Cotton in Bloom ,.';, 

Hauling Seed Cotton to Killoden Gin. Ouachita Parish " ' 69 



Page 

< !i itton Compress at Lafayette. La 71 

Loading with Cotton at New Orleans 73 

Capital City Oil Mill at Baton Rouge 73 

Curing Tobacco at State Experiment Station. Baton 

Rouge 74 

Fermenting Tobacco at State- Experiment station, Baton 

Rouge 74 

Tobacco Barn at Stab- Experiment Station. Baton Rouge. 74 

Strawberry Field at Independence 7ti 

Orchards and Truck Farms at I tammond 77 

A sample of Strawberries 77 

Grapes at Experiment Station — 1 'alboun 79 

A Louisiana Bayou Steamboat 79 

In a Strawberry Patch at Many, Sabine Parish 81 

Peach Tree with Ripening Fruit, Sabine Parish SI 

Packing Vegetables at Kenner S3 

1 lowpeas in the Drill S3 

Experimental Engineering Building. Louisiana. State Uni- 
versity, Baton Rouge S3 

Elise Reuss Memorial School, Ascension Parish S3 

A Louisiana Truck Field S5 

Bossier Parish Exhibit at the Louisiana State Fair S7 

Truck Farming — Irish Potatoes. O. ( >. Clarke's Planta- 
tion, Ouachita Parish 89 

Irish Potatoes: Cabbage and Corn in the Background; 

Caddo Parish 91 

White Oak Forest — Killoden Plantation, Ouachita Par- 
ish 93 

Powell Lumber Company, Ouachita Parish 93 

A Sawmill at Taft. in St. Charles Parish 95 

ii'- Many, Sabine Parish 95 

Long Leaf Pine Forest 97 

Stave Factory at Jonesboro, La 97 

Pine Logs for Sawmill 99 

North Louisiana Shingle Mill, Ouachita Parish 99 

Oyster Canning Factory 101 

A Fine Catch near New Orleans — 150 pounds of Spanish 

Mackerel in two hours 101 

Harvesting Oats — Ingleside Plantation. Ouachita Parish. 103 
Standard Brood-Mares and Foals, Avoyelles Parish...... 105 

'Motte M.," from Leinster 105 

A Carload of Polled Angus Cattle, fattened at State Expe- 
riment Station at Baton Rouge 107 

Cow of L. S. IT. Dairy, Baton Rouge 109 

St. Lambert of Leinster — Vvoyelles Parish 109 

Steamboat Making a Landing Ill 



278 



Page 

First Prize Jersey Bull and Cow — J. W. Jones of Natch- 
itoches HI 

Home-Raisea Horses and Moles — Bossier Parish 113 

A Group of Native « 'at tie in North Louisiana lib 

"Possum Fat and taters" 11!) 

A Buneh of Early Lambs — Calhoun Ill 

Masterpiece Longfellow — A Ijouisiana Hog: 117 

Lbita Springs Hotel US 

T. F. Porter's First Prize Saddler at Natchitoches Fair. . 119 

The Paul Tulane loaded with Sugar 121 

A Group of Louisiana Mule Colts 121 

Section of Pear Orchard 123 

\V S. Greneaux — Poultry Exhibit at Natchitoches Fair , . 123 
Group ei' Herefords at State Experiment Station, Baton 

Rouse 125 

I leep Well for Rice Irrigation at Gueydan. La 125 

Fountain produced by natural pressure from 3-inch well 

at Reiser's Machine Shop, Lake Charles 125 

Artesian Wells at i-.ake Charles 125 

Texas & Pacific Railroad Bridge Over Atchafalaya River. 12/ 

A Louisiana Plantation Home 127 

A Residence j n Avoyelles Parish 155 

Going 1 out from Dinner — Ascension Parish 155 

Racing at a Parish Fair 157 

Giant Pecan Tree. Ascension Parish, said to he the largest 

in the South 157 

A Farmer's Bungalow in Bossier Parish 159 

Vineyard at Plain Dealing if,:i 

A Farm Home in Bossier Parish. 1 6 1 

A Bunch of Young Swine, Raised without Grain. Bossier 

Parish 161 

Fii Id of Corn in Caddo Parish 163 

Field of Oats in Caddo Parish 163 

Postoffic" at Baton Rouge 165 

Alfalfa Field in Caddo Parish 169 

Hill Memorial Librarv. Louisiana State University 171 

Hay Loader in operation at Baton Rouge 171 

A Louisiana Bayou Overhung with Spanish Moss 175 

Residence in Terrebonne Parish 177 

Main Building Louisiana Industrial Institute, al Ruston. 1 v 1 

Residence. Ingleside Plantation. Ouachita Parish 185 

Salt-Water Bathing Pool at Monroe IS:, 

Court House and Annex at Monroe 186 

Postofnoo at Monroe 1S ( ; 

A Group of Oyster Shuckers is, 



Page 

A Country Home in Louisiana 188 

Rapides Court House, at Alexandria 191 

Hauling Logs in Sabine Parish 193 

La Nana Schoolhouse, Sabine Parish 193 

Corn Field with Peas, St. Charles Parish 197 

\ i 'abbage Field at Roseland ' '■' j 

Court House and Jail in Tangipahoa Parish -" i 

"Faking things easy 201 

A Typical Ante-Bellum Home 203 

Harvesting r^espedeza Seed — West i/'eliciana Parish 207 

Rid Polled Cattle on Plantation of J. Burrus McGehee " 

A Louisiana Cypress Tree 2 0a 

Louisiana's Method of Class Work in Practical Agriculture 

at her Industrial Institutes 209 

Experiment Station at Audubon Park. New Orli ans 211 

Young Ladies' Dormitory, Louisiana Industrial Institute, 

at Ruston 215 

Dormitory for Girls, Southwestern Louisiana Industrial 

Institute, at Lafayette 215 

Mt. Lebanon University — Established over 50 years ago . - 1 ;■ 

Foster Hall, Louisiana State University, Baton Roim. . 215 

Tulane University — New Orleans. La 21 1 

Stat'- University Campus at Baton Rouge 219 

(Tutting Cane on N. S. Dougherty's Plantation. East Baton 

Rouge Parish 2 21 

Louisiana State University Barracks 22 1 

Free Traffic Bridge at Monroe 221 

Deaf and Dumb Institute at Baton Rouge 221 

Alumni Building. Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge 223 

University Lake — Baton Rouge 2 23 

Robertson Hall. Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, 221 

Heard Hall. Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge... 224 

The Falls on Comite River, East Feliciana Parish 225 

Omc- and Laboratory of the Director of the Experiment 

Station. Baton Rouge 225 

Main Building Southwestern Louisiana Industrial Insti- 
tute. Lafayette 231 

High School. Alexandria. La 231 

Main Building, Southern University and A. & M. College 

(colored). New Orleans 233 

Shreveport High School 234 

\ n Ante-Bellum Country Home 234 

High School. Baton Rouge 236 

Silliman Female Collegiate Institute. Clinton 238 

High School in Homer 237 



279 



Page 
Model Steel Bridge on Travelers' Rest Stock Farm, Oua- 
chita Parish 23S 

Little Loch Katrine. Travelers' Rest Stock Farm. Oua- 
chita Parish 238 

<V;il H.ivl;<'s from Pittsburg - on tne Mississippi River.... 24] 
The George Washington Live Oak in Audubon Park, New 

Orleans — over 200 years old 245 

Residence on Linwood Plan*ation, East Feliciana Parish. 245 



Pcge 

Postoffice at Shreveport 2 4 1 

Bird's-Eye View of Shreveport 263 

Park View High School. Shreveport 255 

Parish High School at Monroe 255 

A ' troup of Polled Durhams from the Mayer Place, near 

Shreveport . . . '. 255 

Library at Lake Charles 25S 

State Capitol — West View 271 



")Rn 



